Susanna Caprara speaks to
SANDRA O'CONNELL
I HAVE BEEN living and working in Dublin’s theatres for 10 years, having moved here after college. When I came up with the idea of Palazzo Rinaldo Artists’ Residency I was working at the Gate.
The idea came about quite organically. To unwind from the hectic theatre world, whenever I had the chance I would travel to Noepoli, a tiny hilltop village deep in the southern Italian countryside.
Palazzo Rinaldi is my father’s family home and the place I spent most summers growing up. The combination of sunshine, nature and great food would send me back to Ireland regenerated.
Once in Dublin I’d be working with artists who also craved breaks from stressful city living in order to focus and create. Just as Palazzo Rinaldi soothed and inspired me, I knew it would them, so I opened the residency in 2008. Since then I have welcomed artists of all disciplines from Iran, Mexico, South Africa, India and Ireland. I now divide my time between Ireland and Italy.
The local area is lovely. Basilicata is a region still undiscovered by tourists but packed with beauty and history. There are stunning beaches and historical sites.
The most famous attraction is Matera, a town completely carved out of white rock, which is also a Unesco World Heritage site. It looks like a small Jerusalem and has been used as a location for many films, including Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christand Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St Matthew.
Mornings usually fly by, between easing residents into their new environment, helping them set up their materials in the studio or discussing their residency projects, to ensure they have everything they need.
In addition to that there is administration, bookings and everyday chores such as shopping lists to look after.
Last year we developed an arts festival to promote interaction between our resident artists and the local community, so that takes up time, too.
At 1pm everything stops for lunch until around 4.30pm. Lunch is a family’s main meal and is sacred – everyone must sit and eat it together.
In the afternoon I check on the artists’ progress, discuss their events proposals, deal with any queries and translate for them.
At about 7pm, as soon as the sun has started to set, I try to go for a run. Living in your workplace and being on call 24/7 makes it difficult to switch off. Getting away even for half an hour keeps my energy up.
I love working on Palazzo Rinaldi so much that I consider it a passion as well as a job. Most of all I love seeing people go through the same positive changes that I used to – arriving pale, tired and stressed and leaving blossoming with health, creative ideas and a new appreciation for life.
Susanna Caprara is founder of Palazzo Rinaldi Artists’ Residency, palazzorinaldi.com