An immersive exhibition on dragons and fantastic reptiles, at Feltre's Praetorian Palace

Dragons, basilisks, fantastic reptiles: these are the protagonists of the immersive exhibition open in Feltre from Aug. 10 to Oct. 31 at the Palazzo Pretorio and related initiatives. Set up in the spaces of the ancient Venetian prisons, the exhibition is one of the much-awaited previews of the Feltre Heraldry Festival, scheduled for the first two weeks of next October and which will be an opportunity to explore the world of coats of arms and their language of figures, signs, symbols and colors.

They include dragons and related creatures, expressions of a collective imagination that from the testimonies of the classical era reaches, through medieval bestiaries and tales of oral tradition, to the present day and to extraordinarily successful television series and films. Far from being just figures of the imagination, dragons - as the organizers of the Festival tell us - constituted concrete presences in real life and expressed in their very existence dreams, beliefs and fears: “the prisons of the mind,” that is, that set of beliefs through which we humans yesterday and today filter the experience of reality. Hence the title of the exhibition, The Prisons of the Mind. Dragons, basilisks, fantastic reptiles, an allusion also to the physical place where it is set up.

On display are installations consisting of videos and images, both created using Artificial Intelligence and bringing to life through it paintings, sculptures and decorations of dragons and reptiles still visible in the territory of Feltre. An immersive visual experience that will interact with sound narratives in dialect and Italian of legends from the oral tradition of the Belluno mountains collected and published by Daniela Perco and Carlo Zoldan in two volumes published by the Province of Belluno.

Those who would then like to see dragons, basilisks and fantastic reptiles live can do so by following theitinerary suggested in the brochure accompanying the exhibition, which is distributed free of charge to all visitors.

For those who would like to delve deeper into the theme of dragons, there is an opportunity from August 10 to October 31 at the Feltre Library Complex to admire a precious manuscript from 1432 belonging to the Historical Fund and exceptionally on public display. It is the volume Epistolae by Gasparino Barzizza, which will be flanked by other illuminated Feltre testimonies normally accessible only to scholars. The exhibition, entitled Dragons in Miniature. Treasures from the Feltre Archives, which can be visited during the Feltre Library Pole’s opening hours to the public, has been curated by Francesca Colò.

Children who want to explore the world of dragons, basilisks and fantastic reptiles can do so with free creative workshops curated by anthropologist Annamaria Canepa of theSocial Enterprise Trame di Storia. Hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 to 11 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations required. For information on tours and admission, you can call 327.2562682 or email museifeltre@aqua-naturaecultura.com.

Image: Andrea Nasone (attr.), Madonna and Child, St. George with the Dragon and St. Martin, detail ( 16th century; Vignui, Church of St. George)

An immersive exhibition on dragons and fantastic reptiles, at Feltre's Praetorian Palace

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