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When
1 is 2: The Art of Alighiero e Boetti
LESSON PLAN:
Investigating Duality
OBJECTIVES
1. To learn about duality in the art of Alighiero Boetti
2. To think about the duality that exists in ourselves
3. To produce two creative writings about duality in ourselves
MATERIALS
Writing materials
BACKGROUND DISCUSSION
Alighiero Boetti was an Italian artist who lived from 1940-1994.
He is known for his work with the collective Arte Povera, a
group of young Italian artists who experimented with different
materials and techniques. Much of the art that they created
explored the relationship between art and everyday life.
Boetti was interested in duality, the idea that everything
is ruled by two opposing forces. In Boetti’s time, scientists
thought that each half of the human brain had distinct skills;
therefore, a person was either predominately right- or left-brained.
Mathematical and spatial skills were attributed to the left
brain, while creative and musical skills were thought to be
handled by the right brain. (Scientists now know that our abilities
are not controlled exclusively by either half of the brain,
but the idea of the right brain and left brain activities still
exist.)
Alighiero Boetti, Untitled,
1998
One of the reasons that Boetti was interested in duality was
that he wanted to express his creativity from both sides of
his brain. For instance, much of his work includes words and
letters in a puzzle-like format. The making of these works
might be considered to originate in the “left brain,” Boetti
made no such distinction in his creative processes.
Alighiero Boetti, Untitled,
1977
At one point, Alighiero Boetti changed his name to Alighiero
e Boetti (“e” means “and” in Italian.)
By doing so, he stressed that he is both a unique individual
and a part of a family history. He created a picture of himself
holding hands with himself.
ACTIVITY I
Choose the two most different characteristics of your personality.
Make lists of adjectives and activities that you associate
with each characteristic. Think about the following: Do these
characteristics complement each other, or do they oppose each
other?
Write a poem, story, or personal essay from the point of view
of each “you.”
CLOSING DISCUSSION
Do you think that duality is necessary because it keeps us
balanced? Or, do you think that duality makes us feel conflicted?
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