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Aug 30 2016 - 16:00

MART Sala Conferenze

Climbing: An Art in Search of Beauty

MAURIZIO ZANOLLA “MANOLO” & ANTOINE LE MENESTREL

Maurizio Zanolla - Manolo, climber; Iva Berasi; and Antoine Le Menestrel, climber.

Moderated by Iva Berasi.

Manolo, the Wizard, whose real name is Maurizio Zanolla, and Antoine Le Menestrel are two of the most important figures in the world of climbing. Formidable athletes, they are also individuals with great sensitivity, artistic competence, and creativity, having over the years transformed their activity into a form of “vertical dance” that represents a quest for Beauty. It is no coincidence that one of Manolo’s latest “vertical works” – featured in the photo on the Oriente Occidente catalog – is aptly named Bellissima. “Our practice,” states Antoine Le Menestrel, “is a crystal with many facets. I never forget that what I do is also culture.” And for Manolo, “it’s incredible how exploring creatively can bring you closer to a process of reducing reality similar to the radical innovation of minimal art in the artistic climate of the Sixties.”

In collaboration with MonturaEditing.

Maurizio Zanolla - ‘Manolo’, nato a Feltre nel 1958, è un alpinista e guida alpina italiana. Vive la sua passione per l’arrampicata in maniera personale, filosofica e romantica. È soprannominato Il Mago. La sua evoluzione tecnica passa attraverso l’utilizzo di appigli sempre più piccoli, equilibri molto precari su itinerari con protezioni spesso “psicologiche”, enfatizzando così l’arrampicata globale, non solo fisica quindi ma anche mentale. «In molte situazioni mi sono spinto proprio oltre, consapevole che tagliavo i ponti, e che l’unico modo per sopravvivere era arrivare in cima». Cose da matti, cose da maghi, cose da Mago...

Antoine Le Menestrel was one of the strongest climbers of the 1980s and later dedicated himself to artistic performances that combine dance and climbing, known as danse-escalade. He started climbing as a child, doing bouldering at Fontainebleau with his parents and siblings. It was with his brother Marc that, in the 1980s, he began climbing in the cliffs of southern France, particularly in Buoux, where he would establish his most famous routes. He later became a route setter for climbing competitions, through which he discovered his interest in blending climbing with dance. After some experiences as a dancer and choreographer between the 1980s and 1990s, he founded his own company, Lézards Bleus, in 1992.