Art and Architecture on the move – Los Angeles-Naples and back – Art and the English Language

The project ‘Art and Architecture on the move: Los Angeles - Naples and back – Art and the English Language’ headed by the Departments of Psychology, Humanities, and Engineering (SUN), within FUTUROREMOTO XXIX edition, aims to disseminate the perception of artwork as the product of fluid, intrinsically trans-national and trans-cultural languages. On display in Naples, piazza del Plebiscito (October 16-19, 2015), there is a selection of the work exhibited in Los Angeles of 14 Italian (mainly Neapolitan) artists and of 14 artists from Los Angeles who exhibited their work in Naples. These 28 artists share common dynamics in stylistic research as shown in the exhibitions organized by the cultural institution Art1307 Gallery directed by Cinzia Penna. In particular, the dynamics of travelling, moving away, or displacing oneself not only as a physical endeavour, but also as a variety of mindsets and conditions are represented in the two videos ‘Napoli-Los Angeles’ and ‘Los Angeles- Napoli’, which also introduce the selected work of the international artists mentioned in the table above. Such contextual representation of art coming from two continents with their cultural and technological dimensions aims to highlight their complex aggregative itineraries, which trespass national boundaries and facilitate encounters among different persons, cultures and cities, such as Los Angeles and Napoli. These videos reveal their potential for g/local communication through sophisticated aesthetics of change and transformation, which stimulates the sensorial and conceptual perceptions of the spectators. Furthermore, there are some considerations on the role of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) that facilitates communication among non-native speakers through its rich vocabulary, genres and forms of linguistic exchanges. The ‘success story’ of ELF and its spread in international domains is not only due to the Anglo-American socio-economic influence, but also to the adaptability of English morphology and the mechanism of word formation, which greatly facilitates the adoption of terminology from other languages. The readability of English etymologies as well as its preference for high definition in discourse helped make English the ideal verbal medium for communication among non-native speakers. In the present case, ELF has facilitated the exchanges between Italian and American artists and gallery operators from different parts of the respective countries. due to the Anglo-American socio-economic influence, but also to the adaptability of English morphology and the mechanism of word formation, which greatly facilitates the adoption of terminology from other languages. The readability of English etymologies as well as its preference for high definition in discourse helped make English the ideal verbal medium for communication among non-native speakers. In the present case, ELF has facilitated the exchanges between Italian and American artists and gallery operators from different parts of the respective countries.