Incursions in space

Created during a long stay in Japan, which was made possible by a grant from the Japan Foundation, the work, a strong incursion but at the same time respectful of the environment, of which it becomes part and inserts itself in a silent forest interrupted by expanses of dwarf bamboo.

The Domus de Janas (literally, the "Houses of the Spirits") are funereal places, tombs carved in rock and dispersed throughout a large part of Sardinia and identified - according to local traditions - as the dwelling place of the Janas, mythical beings that resemble wizards or witches.

For an event connected to the Festival of Todi, Dompè created her Summa Cavea with a subtle play that involves the theatre-going public.

Funda tracta, a net cast out in order to create a powerful dialogue with the space in an enormous room in the foundations under Palazzo dei Consoli.

The Waldhof, ancient suburban centre of Bielefeld, was a noble court not subject to feudal restrictions, inside of which those who had committed all manner of crimes could find sanctuary, protect themselves, and regain their liberty. The special statute of Waldhof was symbolized by a passage, long ago walled up and only visible now as a niche in the encircling walls of the town.

In the deconsecrated church of Saint Domenic at L'Aquila, Maria Dompè has proposed an idea that reworks in an original way a traditional sacred furnishing in Christian churches, the container of Holy Water, changing its position and giving it an absolute centrality.

By using a wall that had an openings only on its two ends, Maria Dompè built, in this Roman gallery that was undergoing alterations, her Varco, a mental passage that contrasts with the real passages leading to other rooms of the exhibition space.

The sculpture was created for the Visioni di Hymnen, a collective exhibition for which young Italian artists were invited to design original scenery for the music of Stockhausen.