September 2024 —November 2024

The Istituto Svizzero offers two three-month residencies in Palermo at Palazzo Butera (from September to December) addressed to artists (visual arts, design, architecture, literature, dance, theatre and music) who have proven experience in the arts or who have completed an education (Bachelor, Master or other) and researchers doctoral/postdoctoral students (social, human, natural and other sciences).

In a discussion with NOA Contemporary, Aramis provided insights into his initial experiences during the residency and shared his expectations and plans for the upcoming months.

Aramis, how well did you know Palermo, before you arrived there for your residency?

I barely knew the city before I arrived. I only stopped by in the city for a short 2 days, while I was exploring other parts of Sicily on another trip. I remember having eaten dinner in Palermo, but I did not roam about the city much. In preparation for my residency, I naturally have done research about Palermo and its history, so I had some background knowledge before I got here.

Can you tell us anything about the goals of this residency?
My research topic is titled "Of Spells and Prompts". My residency in Palermo will be primarily research-focused, with a strong practical orientation on audio. I will be comparing how language is used in ancient spells and in prompts, which are used in artificial intelligence text generators. I want to know what the poetic potential is underlying in these two systems of language use.

I am looking to discover the use of language in ancient spells and in esoteric or occult texts that circulated throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. These texts also formed the basis of alchemy. I will analyse the rational thought processes behind these magic rituals. In contrast, prompts are employed in large language models which as the fundamental part for AI text generators can extract a specific output. I want to experiment how languages function in these two spheres, and what the similarities and differences are. What happens when I clash them…

Generally, I want to soak up as much knowledge, inspiration, and ideas as possible during this residency. I will either start creating art here or take the ideas I have gathered about this topic back to my studio in Switzerland to develop them further.

In what way will being in Palermo enable you to do this research?

A part of my research will investigate the life of Aleister Crowley, an occultist who was in Sicily from 1920 to 1923, until he was subsequently banished from Italy by the government. He was somewhat of a thought leader for many ideological revolutions during the 20th century, like the sexual revolution or Satanism… and founded the Abbey of Thelema here in Sicily. The building is in ruins nowadays and is said to be haunted. I will be visiting that place during my stay in Palermo. 

You've had a few weeks to get used to Palermo. What are you most excited to discover in the coming months?

At the end of this week, I will be going to the Instituto Svizzero in Rome, for the public presentation of my plans in this residency. I am very excited about the knowledge exchange and the interesting and inspiring conversations I will have there. We are also invited to a little trip around Palermo, where curators will guide us through the city. This will be such a valuable input as well, to get to know the city from another point of view. And I already am looking forward to the regular meetings we will have, to come together and discuss the progress of our research in the residency.

There are also some other places I want to see. I already feel that there is a very vibrant cultural scene here in Palermo, that does however have a sense of urgency. Discovering the topics and themes that are discussed in the circle of artistic production here will serve as a great inspiration as well. I also definitely want to climb the Etna and indulge in all the delicious food this island has to offer.