As is the case everywhere where social contradictions manifest themselves people in the district of Scampia, in the northern periphery of Naples, are creating diverse forms of resistance, community organising and mutual aid. Since 2009, we have been working continuously with different groups and initiatives active in Scampia, especially with chi rom e chi no, the Centro Territoriale Mammut and the GRIDAS. We were able to gain insights into various social practices and political struggles that are being carried out in the neighbourhood: in youth work and popular education, strengthening the rights of the Roma communities living on the outskirts of Scampia, in struggles for a more participatory urban policy, especially with regard to the creation of public space, in the occupation of vacant spaces for communal cultural use, and in struggles for dignified housing.
In spring and summer 2009, we worked intensively with the Mammut community centre. Jointly with mostly young residents, we painted various murals in Scampia and especially in the Vele building complex. In collaboration with chi rom e chi no, we also produced the short film Il Quarto Piano during this period, based on a painting project we had carried out together months before. For a few weeks we painted almost daily in the Vele, in stairwells, vacant flats and on balconies. Whenever we showed up with our paint buckets, brushes and spray cans, youngsters came running and invited us to paint on their floor, in the stairwell or on their balconies as well. That’s how the idea came up to paint, besides the many small murals, one that would not only be seen from inside but also from outside looking at the Vele. During endless painting activities, football games, shared lunches and hundreds of cafés, the first ideas for motifs and concepts were discussed and developed together with residents and activist friends…
The cardillo (goldfinch) is a bird that is very present in Neapolitan culture, in music, literature and film. In contrast to the small cardillo in a cage, as it is kept in many Neapolitan households and put next to the bed for the children to fall asleep because of its song, the cardillo on the façade of the Vela Celeste is large and free. From the Piazza Ciro Esposito in the heart of Scampia and from the Mammut, the mural painted over several staggered balconies and terraces is integral and accurate.
