Brian Eno and his imagery on show in Parma: a wide-ranging artistic project

A widespread artistic intervention, conceived for spaces long closed off and now returned to the city, brings one of the leading figures in contemporary audiovisual research to Parma. Four years after his last Italian creation and following the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement awarded to him by the Venice Biennale in 2023, Brian Eno returns to Italy with a project spread across two venues: the Ospedale Vecchio and the Complesso Monumentale di San Paolo. The installations will be open to the public from April 30 to August 2.

“My Light Years” at the Ospedale Vecchio

Within the monumental spaces of the Crociera dell'Ospedale Vecchio sits “My Light Years”, the broadest survey ever assembled of Eno's installations and audiovisual works, brought together within a single architectural setting. The complex, reopened to the public, thus becomes both container and integral part of the project.

In a video message shared during the presentation, the artist described the setup as a challenge tied to the building's dimensions and the need to carefully calibrate the distribution of the works. The exhibition path will include recent works, such as “Face To Face” from 2022, alongside light installations dating back to the Seventies. Taking it all in will require extended engagement, built through the audience's physical movement through the space.

“Seed” at the San Paolo Complex

At the San Paolo Complex, “Seed” takes shape, a project developed in two phases. The first involves the site-specific audio installation “Installation For Giardini Di San Paolo”, created by Eno with texts by Turkish writer Ece Temelkuran.

The work consists of multiple generative music tracks, each different, spread across an area of roughly 8,000 square meters. Visitors shape their own sonic experience by moving freely through the Gardens, combining the musical streams in an ever-changing way.

The second phase, as explained by curator Alessandro Albertini, involves a field-recording operation: the material will be pressed onto a single vinyl record, produced under Eno's own supervision, destined to join the permanent collection of the Casa del Suono, documenting the collaboration with the city.

The idea of generative art

Eno describes his own method as generative, comparing it to gardening: initial elements are introduced and one observes the relationships that develop over time. Just as a garden changes from season to season, so a generative work changes with every listen or viewing. From this perspective, the work never reaches a final form and remains open.

The project, promoted by the Municipality of Parma, sees "My Light Years" supported by Fondazione Cariparma, while "Seed" is among the winners of the PAC2025 call for proposals issued by the Ministry of Culture's Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity. For the city administration, the initiative strengthens Parma's international profile through an endeavor that combines architectural heritage with audiovisual experimentation.

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