
Versari presented her research on Futurism, technology, and the mind at “Beyond Mechanization,” hosted by Istituto Svizzero.
Professor Maria Elena Versari recently delivered a talk at Beyond Mechanization, a workshop at Istituto Svizzero in Rome exploring the intersections of dance, technology, and spiritism in the early 20th century. Her paper, titled Futurist (dys)topia: Body, Technology, and the Mind, examined how Futurist artists grappled with the relationship between individual identity, the perceiving body, and emerging technologies.
Versari’s research sheds light on the Futurist movement’s complex and evolving views on modernity, tracing the evolution of Futurist thought from the early 1910s and focusing on foundational ideas introduced by F.T. Marinetti and Umberto Boccioni. She highlighted how later artists, including Ruggero Vasari and Fillia, challenged these theories by experimenting with their implications through science fiction and technological speculation.
Hosted by Istituto Svizzero, Beyond Mechanization brought together international scholars to explore how avant-garde artists redefined the boundaries of body, technology, and spirit.