Not a game, but a cultural project to explore emotional complexity and raise awareness about mental health. The exhibition that will be hosted in Rome from 7 to 17 November at the Scalo57 cultural space, in via dello Scalo San Lorenzo 57, is called ‘Escape Room’. The interdisciplinary initiative makes use of artistic, technological and educational means to offer the public an immersive experience and a space for dialogue.
Starting from the metaphor of a “closed mental space”, the project proposes a reflection on difficult emotional states and internal blocks. An image that has its roots in deep cultural references, from Plato’s cave, where men only see the shadows of reality, to the mental universes of David Lynch’s films, in which the characters remain trapped in an internal “Black Lodge”. The goal is to stimulate empathy and awareness, offering a safe and creative space to understand the emotional world.
The project comes to life through the works of three artists with different backgrounds. Ana Dripal, videographer and psychotherapist, presents an immersive video. The work is a film fragmented into episodes, set in different spaces, which builds a physical labyrinth as a reflection of the emotional labyrinth of a love. The installation investigates the boundaries between the ‘I’ and the ‘other’ and the ability to accept otherness. Maria Galie, visual artist and art therapist, founder of Byzarticon and promoter of the Scalo57 cultural space in Rome. In ‘Escape Room’ he presents an installation composed of works created during an art therapy workshop with patients being treated for breast cancer at the Cantacuzino Hospital in Bucharest. Added to these are two interactive installations dedicated to the exploration of emotions. Ioana Mandrescu, sound artist and musician. His works focus on the human body and the sounds it produces. The artist collects abandoned objects, stories and medical data, transforming them into elements for his works and sound installations.