E fu sera e fu mattina

"Evening Came and Morning Followed"
A Journey Through Art, Fashion, Music, and Thought in Martina Franca

Some projects develop like maps, others like stories. "Evening Came and Morning Followed" belongs to the latter dimension: a cultural pathway that unfolds in time and space, accompanying Martina Franca from April 30 to June 6, 2026, in an itinerary woven with intertwined languages and shared visions.
The program takes shape in the symbolic places of the city — Palazzo Ducale, Conservatorio Santa Maria della Misericordia, Biblioteca Isidoro Chirulli — transforming them into traversable spaces inhabited by experiences that connect art, fashion, music, literature, and research.
The journey begins on April 30 with the presence of Regina Schrecker, a key figure in the international scene, who presents “Elogio della bellezza sostenibile” (In Praise of Sustainable Beauty) in the noble halls of the Palazzo Ducale. This is a narrative through images and creations that traverse epochs and imaginations: garments, costumes, and objects inspired by Dante, Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Arnaldo Pomodoro, up to the most recent experiments related to artificial intelligence. It is a living archive, capable of restoring the continuity between tradition and innovation.
Literature is integrated into the program as a space for reflection and narrative. Presentations guide the audience through journeys touching on biographies, contemporary anxieties, and collective memories: from the last hours of Edith Piaf told by Teresa Caricola to the inner landscapes and paths of medieval pilgrimage evoked by Marino Pagano and Angelo Palmieri, to the writing of Rossella Dentuto, who navigates between identity and transformation. The literary presentations will be led by Cinzia Cofano, an educator, cultural operator, and writer who won the “Premio Adriatico. Un mare che Unisce” in 2024 and is curating the cultural column “Librinstreaming,” in collaboration with Tony Vinci, who will cover all scheduled events with cameras from Valleditrialivechannel.
Music permeates the entire project with a pervasive presence. The piano of Maestro Paolo Palazzo and the voice of Manuel Amati in "Solfeggi Notturni" present the music of Aprile and Perla, among the most significant composers from Martina Franca: pieces created for vocal training, reinterpreted here in a non-archaeological manner. Almost entirely in modern premiere, the program invites a rediscovery and enhancement of the local historical-musical heritage, while the sounds of Simon Armenise and the performances of Luna Dragonieri with the project "TuaSorellaMinore" construct sound environments where electronics and video art engage in an immersive dialogue.
Alongside the artistic appointments, the program opens spaces for deepening and research. Meetings dedicated to the relationship between art, science, and spirituality, along with reflections on the persistence of the magical in Puglian popular culture, bring a dimension of knowledge back to the forefront that is rooted in the area, with the participation of the "Alfredo Majorano" Ethnographic Museum, a worthy civic institution in the Ionian territory, founded in 2003 to preserve and enhance the collection dedicated to the renowned Taranto scholar; the items displayed at the museum articulate a precise narrative around magical-religious rituality and popular traditions of the region at least since the 18th century. Maria Grazia Carriero's research project is configured as an interdisciplinary investigation that uses the codes of contemporary art to explore and document the popular beliefs still alive in the Puglian territory. Through an exploration lasting about two years, the artist adopted dialogue as a primary investigative tool, gathering extensive video and photographic documentation in the streets and homes of various municipalities in the provinces of Taranto, Bari, Brindisi, Lecce, and Foggia.
The focus of the research is the entity known as laùru (or with local variants such as jurj’, avurie, scarcagnulu or scazzamurrieddhu), an ambivalent "little spirit" that inhabits the collective memory of communities in danger of extinction. The investigation is not limited to mere ethnographic collection but transforms testimonies into works of art, installations, and videos (like the works "Darkness" and "Parole a Sud"), where the documentary and "rough" character of the footage aims to capture the freshness and pathos of everyday encounters.

Exhibitions, displays, and cultural walks complete the journey, offering further opportunities for exploration. Fashion training with the MITA Fashion Academy Foundation will present, in the evocative spaces of the Palazzo Ducale in Martina Franca, an exhibition dedicated to the contemporary reinterpretation of Bisset's "Carmen." The setup features a selection of outfits created by the students of the Academy, interpreting the imagery of the opera in a modern key, blending theatrical aesthetics with contemporary sensibilities. The sartorial dimension of haute couture is highlighted through refined workmanship, material research, and attention to detail, giving life to creations that dialogue between tradition and innovation. The exhibition of traditional musical instruments and guided tours contribute to constructing a widespread narrative that can engage diverse audiences.
The project is realized with the financial support of the Municipality of Martina Franca and the moral patronage of the Region of Puglia and the Province of Taranto, conceived by the Fondazione Caracciolo De Sangro, Aps Federico II, Aps Liberuomo, and Vallisa.
The initiative "Evening Came and Morning Followed" thus becomes a time to inhabit. Martina Franca welcomes this movement and reflects it through its spaces, stratifications, and openings. A narrative that unfolds day by day, allowing connections, encounters, and new perspectives to emerge.