Critical itinerary through the journey of Franca Sacchi

Abstract

This essay aims to study the musical and performative work of Franca Sacchi in the Italian artistic scene of the late 60s and mid-70s. In the years ‘68/’69 the artist’s activity focuses on musical composition, from electroacoustic experimentation to the curatorship of a research center in electronic music. Those years see her presence in various collective artistic events, including Campo Urbano in Como, Nuovi materiali nuove tecniche in Caorle and Biennale di San Benedetto del Tronto. Besides from the inquire with the artists herself, documentary sources come from Paolo Scheggi’s archive (artists she collaborated with for various performances in the aforementioned exhibitions) and Ugo La Pietra’s (her spouse at the time). During the 70s, Sacchi’s work focuses on yoga and dance practices, and takes a feminist perspective, slightly withdrawing herself from the artistic environment of which she was part. Of this distance it may be beneficial to investigate the reasons, in a dialogue between Sacchi’s ideas and the formulations of Italian feminist theorist of those years. The first aim of this study is to provide a chronological history of her experiences, of which the scarce existing literature is incomplete and subordinate to the research concerning other artists, hence to define a profile of Franca Sacchi as an author.