Arturo prod. /Progetti culturali

Legal and administrative headquarters:
Via al Forte 2, 6900 Lugano

Operational Headquarters:
Via Pollini 10, 6850 Mendrisio

info@arturoprod.ch
www.arturoprod.ch

Project Manager and Coordinator
Tiziana Conte
Mob. +41 76 3910444

Arturo Prod./Progetti culturali (Arturo Prod./Cultural Projects) consists of a non-political non-denomenational public utilities association as per article 60 of the Swiss Civil Codes (CCS) and its associated statutory provisions.

Members and Promoters
Sonia Cattaneo, psychiatrist and psychotherapist
Anita Guglielmetti, art historian
Antonio Mariotti, journalist, film critic and photography historian

Project Manager and Coordinator
Tiziana Conte, curator, cultural projects manager and journalist

Projects/Consultation/Organisation/Coordination/Promotion/Diffusion
Arturo prod. intends to encourage the creation, development and coordination of artistic and cultural projects as well as their promotion and diffusion with particular attention placed on national and international exchanges and being open to all artistic forms and disciplines in their various expressions. The association carries out these activities in Switzerland and abroad.

# In collaboration with Eventi letterari Monte Verità (CH),
www.pri-ma.com/eventiletterari (temporary)
Coordination of the Literary Festival: "Monte Verità: Utopie e Magnifiche ossessioni", 21 – 24 March 2013

# In collaboration with Reso-Rete danza (CH), www.reso.ch
organisation and coordination of the national Ticino Dance Event "Festa danzante", 3, 4 5 May 2013
www.festadanzante.ch

# In collaboration with Museo Vincenzo Vela Ligornetto (CH), www.museo-vela.ch
media communications, public relations

# In collaboration with RSI / La1 www.la1.rsi.ch
cultural journalistic projects for the transmission "CULT TV"

«One of my first vanities was my name. I had quickly learned (he, I think, was the first to inform me), that Arturo ("Arcturus") was a star: the fastest and brightest light in the constellation Bootes in the northern celestial hemisphere! And that in addition to this, the name had even been carried by a king from antiquity, a commander and host for the faithful: those of whom were all heroes, as was their king, who treated them as equals, as brothers.»
“L'isola di Arturo”, Elsa Morante

During summer nights looking west it is possible to make out a very bright orange star. We are referring to Arturo ("Arcturus"), a not well known giant red star. "He" is the brightest star in the the constellation of Bootes. With a magnitude of -0,06 he is also the thrid brightest star of the enitre celestial sky, after Sirius and Canopus . However, he does not appear as bright as two other components of Alpha Centauri which, because of being so close together, cannot be distinguished as separate by the naked eye. Therefore Arturo appears to us to be the fourth brightest star. He is easily recognizable. In addition to his orange color and extreme luminosity, Arturo can be found not far from the Big Dipper of Ursa Major by following the arch formed by the handle of the dipper. Arturo benefits from several records. He is able to move more rapidly through the sky than the other stars and his brightness is 113 to 200 times superior to that of the Sun, making him the brightest star within a distance of 37 light years from the Sun. Of the stars which can be seen by the naked eye, he is the oldest. In winter Arturo is visible in the middle of the night by looking east while in summer he can be seen in the early hours of the night by looking west. Together with Spica in Virgo and Denebola in Leo, Arturo is also part of the Spring Triangle and in fact, can be seen all night during spring nights (ideally around midnight) appearing to the south as the high left vertice of the Spring Triangle. At the beginning of the 70s the astronomer Olin J. Eggen discovered that Arturo shares his motion with another 53 stars . Eggen found that Arturo also shares a similar metallicity with these stars leading him to assume that these stars were all part of a stellar association with an estimated age of 10 billion years. This star group has been baptized "The Arcturus Group" ("Corrente stellare di Arturo").

Arturo is the name of our association, a homage to this antique star for which we share a strong affinity. Arturo isn't anxious to be seen first or second, he would not even be disturbed if he was left for third or forth. He is aware of having the pleasure of being an enormous light on his own, of having the power to count on his vast experience, of being an unusual giant red star (which has, however, the capacity to move rapidly in the celestial sky) and of belonging to a stellar association, always visible from north to south, from east to west.