Giorgio Ferrero, Rodolfo Mongitore (Mybosswas) & EX.: THERMOCENE

Zero impact does not exist. From this idea comes “Thermocene”, an exhibition by Giorgio Ferrero, Rodolfo Mongitore (Mybosswas), and EX., curated by ARTECO (Beatrice Zanelli & Camilla Zennaro) and presented across multiple venues. The journey begins in Turin (Italy), before extending to national and international museums and cultural institutions.

An immersive installation blends art, architecture, music, film, and science as part of an evolving project that includes a traveling exhibition, a film, and a publication, produced by MYBOSSWAS, EX, ARTECO, KINO produzioni. Reflecting on the urgency of a new and necessary synergy between the environment and society, the work explores the evolution of interconnected cooperation through the invasive traces of human-made devices in the era of climate change: the Thermocene.

At the core of the project is a visual and sonic symphony created by Giorgio Ferrero and Rodolfo Mongitore (Mybosswas), housed within two futuristic bivouacs set 3,000 meters above sea level in the Piedmont Alps and designed by EX. Rather than depicting mountains as untouched natural landscapes, Thermocene reinterprets them as environments shaped by invisible infrastructures and signs of human presence: fragments of radio transmissions, encrypted military codes, satellite communications and interferences, fine particle detectors, and sounds from the valleys. Drawing from gathered signals, composers Ferrero and Mongitore, separated by thirty kilometers and immersed in glacial solitude—lacking even essential services—but connected through a digital signal, created a synchronized visual and sonic symphony.

The project aims to demonstrate, poetically and empirically, that it is impossible to envision a planet without the overwhelming impact of humans. In this context, the idea of "zero impact" becomes an unattainable utopia. Humans are present even where they are invisible, and the awareness of nature increasingly polluted by human-made devices will inevitably become central to a new understanding of freedom and survival in an era we are struggling to accept: the Thermocene. 

“Thermocene” will continue its journey by engaging national and international museums and cultural institutions. From March 24 to 27, the homonymous film, developed from the research behind the entire project, will have its international premiere at CPH:FORUM 2025, the funding and co-production event of CPH:DOX, one of the world’s leading documentary festivals.

From June 7 to September 14, the installation will be presented in the project room of GAMeC—Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Bergamo as part of a broader initiative reflecting on the interaction between high-altitude architecture and human impact. This is part of the program “Pensare come una montagna—Il Biennale delle Orobie”. The installation will connect the film narrative – set in Piedmont between the Bivacco Corradini and Bivacco Berrone, designed by Studio EX. – to the context it explores. This includes the studio's new project, a result of the collaboration between the museum and the Bergamo section of the Italian Alpine Club: the renovation of the Bivacco Aldo Frattini.

“Thermocene” is supported by Media Creative Europe, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Film Commission Piemonte, Intesa Sanpaolo | Gallerie d’Italia - Torino, Mercato Centrale Torino, Another Music Records. It is also made possible thanks to the technical sponsors: Epson, Montarbo, Nanlite, Patona, Rycote, TipTop Audio, and Gruppo FTS.

The “Thermocene” exhibition has not ended its journey; new venues are being finalized! For information, write to associazione.arteco@gmail.com.