The president of the newly formed association: “When you start an experience of this kind, the financial aspect is important, and our goal is precisely to equip ourselves with resources that allow us to grow and to propose interesting and engaging initiatives.”
‘The Brissago Club is a space dedicated to the promotion of culture, play and encounter in our country’. This is what is stated on the association’s website, which was set up in recent months on the initiative of Pietro Majno-Hurst, Carolina Marcacci Rossi and Mauro Fiscalini.
But what can we put in that big container called culture that tells our story and our stories? Art in its two main expressions – painting and sculpture –, music, literature, philosophy, cinema, photography… and much more. The next event of the Club, scheduled for Sunday 29 March, combines music and medicine, with the conference ‘Beethoven’s brain’, curated by Dr Fabio Mario Conti.
In this newsletter, we want to tell the people of Brixen how the idea of the Club was born, inviting them to take part in a cultural initiative that deserves support and attention.
“The initial stimulus – Fiscalini says – came from Pietro, who contacted me. I asked him why me? He told me 'you have spent your life here in Brissago, you have taught, you know many people … I have just arrived. From the outset, a certain harmony was created between us, which then became contagious, in the sense that other people – some fifteen – joined together and this spontaneous group was formed, which met for the first time in May last year. At a meeting with the City Hall, we were suggested to set up an association: a solution that guarantees a good organizational structure and that allows the collection of the necessary funds.
Fiscalini continues, ‘because when we start an experience of this kind, the financial aspect is important, and our goal is precisely to equip ourselves with resources that allow us to grow and to propose interesting and engaging cultural initiatives, on a monthly basis: screenings of films, conferences, concerts… As a rule on Sunday afternoons. And to promote the activity of the association, we have created a website (www.circolobrissago.ch). The meetings conclude with a ‘buffet canadien’: those who want to bring something and in the end eat together, because one of our objectives is also to create aggregative moments. And this was precisely the spring that gave birth to the Circle: the observation that in Brissago there are not many aggregative occasions, beyond the country festivals”.
The next goal of the promoters, who have created a committee of seven people, chaired by Fiscalini, is to have a stable headquarters, where you can meet, be together and exchange ideas and opinions.
“We would also like to create a small library – explains Fiscalini – because we believe it is a need that has been felt in Brissago for years. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find a space within Casa Branca Baccalà, but thanks to the availability of the deputy mayor Fabio Solari, who is also president of the parish council, the Club will soon be able to take advantage of the large room of Casa Bianchini. This is not a free concession, but a lease deemed sustainable: CHF 4,000 per year, including expenses. A non-negligible sum for a newly formed association, but considered compatible with the objective of having its own space.”
The project will soon be able to enter its most concrete phase, a step that will mark a real leap in quality compared to the initial phase, made up of enthusiasm, ideas and sporadic meetings. During the month of March the restaurant will be furnished in a simple and functional way, without resorting to excessive investments, following the spirit of the project: a welcoming, lived-in place, designed to be together rather than to ‘showcase’.
The inauguration, scheduled for Friday 24 April, will be an opportunity to officially present the Club to the population. So far, this has been discussed informally, especially through word of mouth, but now the association intends to come out into the open. The website is already active and allows you to join the Club through a form, the first step to build a network of contacts not only in Brissago, but also out of town.
The issue of costs remains central. Revenue is currently limited to membership fees, set at 30 francs per year or more, a necessary but insufficient basis to cover all expenses. It will therefore be crucial to find other resources soon.
The first signs, from the point of view of public participation, are encouraging. The four evenings organised so far – three screenings and one conference – attracted between 50 and 60 people, confirming the existence of real interest and a need for shared moments.
The Club is aimed at a wide and transversal audience, without rigid targets, and is open to create and develop synergies with other associations active in the Municipality.
The idea is not to create a cultural elite, but to create a participatory space in which the Committee’s initiatives can progressively intertwine with the proposals and contributions of citizens, fostering a lively and constructive dialogue.
A place to meet, discuss, read, watch a movie, have a drink together. In other words, the intention is to strengthen the fabric of relationships that has gradually weakened over the years. The project is still young, with all the uncertainties of the case, but the path is traced. From the initial spontaneity we have moved to a more solid structure that allows us to look to the future with serenity and confidence.