“There’s plenty of room at the bottom” by artist and RUFA lecturer Giorgio Di Noto.
A project realized with the support of MiC and SIAE – “Per Chi Crea” programme.
November 28 – January 17, 2025. Opening: November 27, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Central Institute for Catalogue and Documentation – Via di San Michele 18, Rome.
Wednesday, November 27, at 6:00 PM, the On Image Association will present the first unveiling of artist Giorgio Di Noto’s (1990) project “There’s plenty of room at the bottom” at the ICCD – Central Institute for Catalogue and Documentation in Rome. The exhibition, featuring works created with the support of MiC and SIAE under the “Per Chi Crea” programme, will be open to the public from Thursday, November 28, 2024, to Friday, January 17, 2025.
The opening event will feature speeches by Carlo Birrozzi (Director of ICCD), Giorgio Di Noto (artist), Carlotta Valente (artist), Arianna Catania (Curator and President of On Image Association), Giangavino Pazzola (Curator at CAMERA Torino and FUTURES programme), Iole Venditti (Professor at Roma Tre University), Alessia Cedola (CNR Nanotechnology Institute), Maja de Simoni (Communications Manager at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste), and Silvia Checchi (ICCD Conservator).
Giorgio Di Noto presents a visual exploration of the relationship between photography and nanotechnology, investigating light and matter, the visible and the invisible, through a series of experimental works. With the crucial collaboration of Carlotta Valente and technical support from Joaquin Paredes, the Roman artist conceptualized and materialized a visual investigation into the possible connections between a science that studies an invisible world and a technology that seemingly represents the visible one. Using daguerreotypy—the oldest, most precious, and, in some ways, most hazardous photographic process in history—he juxtaposes it with one of the most advanced and contemporary scientific applications.
There’s plenty of room at the bottom takes its title from a 1959 lecture by physicist Richard Feynman, considered the first scientific reference to the potential of nanotechnology: “What would happen if we could arrange atoms one by one exactly as we wish?”
Inspired by this, Giorgio Di Noto worked in two significant Italian institutes: CNR Nanotec Nanotechnology Institute in Lecce and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste. Here, he delved into the world of nanosciences through photography, investigating this unexpected connection. Nanotechnology has a unique relationship with photography: the daguerreotype, the first photographic process in history, is considered one of the earliest (albeit unconscious) examples of nanotechnology. These plates, often called “mirrors with a memory,” reflect images that are simultaneously negative and positive—true mirrors with monochromatic photographs that display various color shades due to the metal nanoparticles on their surface, as explained in the exhibition text by Dr. Vittorio Aita, a researcher in nanotechnology and plasmonics at King’s College London.
Other examples of nanotechnology in history and nature, such as lotus leaves or the Lycurgus Cup from Roman times, became additional research layers. These inspired Di Noto to expand his subjects and techniques, creating works that, presented here for the first time, engage in dialogue with daguerreotypes and other photographic prints.
The works will be displayed at the ICCD – Central Institute for Catalogue and Documentation in Rome, where Di Noto collaborated on researching the production and conservation practices of contemporary daguerreotypes. The exhibition will also feature a video by Vincenzo Farenza, documenting interviews and all stages of the production process.
The project *There’s plenty of room at the bottom* is one of the winners of the 2023 “Per Chi Crea – New Works” grant promoted by MiC and SIAE and organized by the On Image Association, which funded the research and production of the works.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Title: There’s plenty of room at the bottom – Giorgio Di Noto
Opening: November 27, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Exhibition period: November 28, 2024 – January 17, 2025
Venue: Central Institute for Catalogue and Documentation – Via di San Michele 18, Rome
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (closed on holidays)
Admission: Free
Giorgio Di Noto
Born in Rome in 1990, he studied photography and printing techniques. Since 2011, he has conducted research on photographic materials and the relationship between visual languages and printing processes. In 2012, he won the Pesaresi Prize with his project *The Arab Revolt*, whose artist book was later selected for *The Photobook: A History Vol. III* by M. Parr and G. Badger and subsequently acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 2017, he published *The Iceberg* (Edition Patrick Frey), receiving a special mention at the Rencontres d’Arles 2018 Book Award and becoming a finalist for the Bob Calle Prix du livre d’artiste. Since 2019, he has been featured in the curatorial project *Metafotografia*. In 2021, his work was included in the collective exhibition *Retrofuturo* at the Macro Museum in Rome. In 2024, he was selected by CAMERA – Italian Center for Photography for the European programme *FUTURES*.
