The Look Elsewhere

Working group formed by educators, teachers, pedagogists and pedagogists mostly from the City of Bologna, open to the contribution of other figures with interests and skills in the educational and artistic fields.

The Look Elsewhere was founded many years ago as a “pedagogical observatory” of Visions of the Future, Visions of Theater..., an international festival of theater and culture for early childhood, promoted annually by La Baracca - Testoni Ragazzi di Bologna.
Over time, it became a permanent working group that aims to promote and strengthen the exchange between art and education and the encounter between girls and boys, even very young ones, and the performing arts, in particular theater.
The collaboration protocol ZeroTresei... Teatro tra La Baracca - Testoni Ragazzi and the City of Bologna, which promotes theatrical projects aimed at zerosei services in the city, has given value to the group Lo SGUARDO Altrove, recognizing it as one of the bodies that collaborate in the implementation of the project, entrusting it with functions of observation, research, study, documentation and exchange.
Among these functions, observation remains at the heart of the group's activity. The members of The Look Elsewhere have the opportunity to observe girls and boys as they participate in shows and other performance events, on the occasion of festivals but not only, even during the year, in theater and educational services.
Observing, collecting suggestions, reflecting on them together, among professionals in the educational world and with artists: all this is extremely formative and enriching and helps to make the culture of childhood grow.
For several years, the group has also had the opportunity to observe moments of rehearsal of new productions, to then see the artistic creation process, then exchanging impressions and thoughts with actors and directors, offering contributions with their educational perspective, in a mutual contamination but always with respect for their roles.
The Look Elsewhere follows experimental projects promoted by La Baracca, in collaboration with the City of Bologna.
We remember the artistic projects carried out during the pandemic, so as not to lose contact with boys and girls and with the staff of educational services at a time of such strong isolation and in the presence of constraints and limitations.
The two experiments:

• A STORY THAT IS ABOUT TO BE BORN, surreal conversations online;
• BEYOND GLASS, performative incursions into the gardens of educational services 0-6.

Other projects to which Lo SGUARDO Altrove actively collaborates, promoted by La Baracca as part of the international festival Visions:

• AMEY PROJECT | Artists Meet Early Years, which aims to encourage young artists from all over the world to create productions for early childhood;
• ZEROTRE CHIAMA ITALIA, aimed at encouraging theater companies, in this case Italian, to create shows for children (a project that contributed to the birth of Cucù, within Assitej Italia).

Within the framework of these projects, The Look Elsewhere assumes a role of bridge between artists and educational services, facilitating organizational and design aspects, encouraging comparisons and exchanges, connecting field experience and theoretical insights.
On some of these projects, as well as on other experiences that intertwine artistic and educational fields, Lo SGUARDO promotes and/or participates in seminars and moments of study and creates video documentation and publications.
Some members of the group conduct training courses aimed at educators and teachers on the value of theater and art in the growth of children.
The Look Elsewhere is composed of a group of figures who have been participating in it for many years, contributing to the creation of common knowledge, but also of new components, who bring other perspectives and contributions.
The group wants to act as an open space, inside and out, with a curious and available look at the dimension of the other, a place in which to collect, elaborate and relaunch stimuli and ideas to continue research on art and early childhood.

For information write to Marina Manferrari, coordinator of The Look Elsewhere: marina.manf@gmail.com