Mayday is a holiday that transitioned from a northern hemisphere pagan Spring celebration to the international workers day, being celebrated differently in various parts of the world, generally on or around the 1st of May. On this occasion, we’re presenting Riccardo Benassi’s “work in progress”, Phonemenology. The video takes us on a journey into the customisation of society’s rules that is being operated by interfaces. Observing how they counterfeit transformation, Phonemenology spans across a material and social architecture that triggers European gangsta-rap, a non-existing popular music genre, into non-visible goods and their visible movement, and into agriculture and techno-privatisation—all threads in Phonemenology’s various chapters.

But ultimately Phonemenology is about belonging—about how belonging becomes becoming. And it posits a series of riddles: when does such a process happens and to what extent has the digital changed the moment in which this transformation happens? How does it all relate to labour, to working days, entertainment and technology? Shall we begin to see ourselves as temporary sanctuaries for invisible creatures, ready to become their edible environment? Or as part of a wider environment/sanctuary that we co-build and shape and which ends up shaping us?

Phonemenology began as a research about how the perception and consumption of music has changed since ringtones have entered our lives and how the daily use of smartphones affects the role of our body as an interface within a constructed environment.

We’d like you to keep it on, day and night, as a background, throughout these next two weeks.
Play it at reasonably high volume.
Live Mayday every day. 

Credits

Executive Production:

Riccardo Benassi

Mirko Rizzi

Original Soundtracks:

Demo @ Studio Ostile

Sleazy Kid

Milton Alice

Olyvetty

Gnuswvs

Dj Soul Solgia

Chapter THE UMBRELLA PARADIGM

originally commissioned by Silvia Fanti and Daniele Gasparinetti

in the frame of Xing / Live Arts Week (2015)

Chapter POST-RINGTONE SOCIETY

filmed at the Accademia di Belle Arti G. Carrara in Bergamo

originally previewed at Residenza Casarotto for (NOT) So Close

curated by Davide Giannella (2016)

Chapter EUROPEAN GANGSTA RAP

commissioned by Daniela Seitz and Anja Weigl

in the frame of Creamcake / 3HD

and commissioned by Giacinto Di Pietrantonio and Marina Valensise

in the frame of Le Promesse dell’Arte / IIC Paris (2016)

Chapter AQUACALYPSE

commissioned by Martina Angelotti and Anna Daneri

in the frame of ON / TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit)

with the support of DISFOR - Visual Sociology Lab, University of Genova (2017)

Chapter AGRONYMOUS

commissioned by Giulia Bini, Sabiha Keyif, Daria Mille and Philipp Ziegler

in the frame of Hybrid Layers / ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (2017)

Video editing and sound mastering:

No Elevator Studio

CGI and motion graphics:

Jurij Magoga

Magda Tuzinkiewicz

Sara Carraro

Proofreading:

Andreas Kakogiannis

Diego Orlandi

David Smith

Camera operators:

Riccardo Benassi

Pietro Trizzullo

Luca Svanera

Drone operator:

Luca Gastoldi

Additional video footage:

Shutterstock Inc.

With the participation of:

Margherita Animelli, Orfeo Ardenghi, Eva Arioli, Marco Bellebono, Nunzio Benassi, Barbara Boiocchi, Laura Bonfanti, Maria Lucia Capelli, Sara Carraro, Barbara Casoli, Federico Cisana, Francesco Crovetto, Martina Dierico, Matteo Dossena, Stefano Fiumana, Lucrezia Fontana, Dario Frettoli, Mauro Frugiuele, Paolo Gamba, Valentina Gamba, Luca Gastoldi, Michela Mafessoni, Matteo Maino, Marinella Mandica, Marica Martella, Alessandra Moioli, Stephanie Morla, Chiara Pagnoncelli, Giulia Pendino, Clara Scola, Luca Svanera, Paolo Tognozzi, Andrea Toscano, Pietro Trizzullo, Giulia Zambaiti, Diandra Zampolli

Additional support by:

Marsèll, No Elevator Studio, Studio Ostile, Fibrilla

Special thanks to:

Martina Angelotti, Giulia Bini, Massimo Cannarella, Maria Lucia Capelli, Gaetano Carofiglio, Sara Carraro, Giuseppe E Simonetta Casarotto, Anna Daneri, Dirk Van Den Eynden, Silvia Fanti, Enrico Fravega, Tiziana Frescobaldi, Dario Frettoli, Daniele Gasparinetti, Davide Giannella, Sabiha Keyif, Marianna Liosi, Andrea Lissoni, Linda Loppa, Marica Martella, Marinella & Daniele, Daria Mille, Francesco Morabito, Laura Napolitano, Nilde & Matteo, Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, Alessandra Pioselli, Ludovico Pratesi, Federico Rahola, Filipa Ramos, Mirko Rizzi, Alberto Salvadori, Valeria Schulte-Fischedick, Daniela Seitz, Christoph Tannert, Paolo Tognozzi, Andrea Toscano, Marina Valensise, Giuseppina Viscomi, Anja Weigl, Ute Werner, Philipp Ziegler