When Alessandro Barchesi goes on stage to begin his performance,  someone from the audience, whispering, points out that the young roman artist looks like Edward Scissorshands, the main character of the homonymous and beloved film directed by Tim Burton. Nothing to do with Johnny Depp, the actor who lent his face for this character, but with the black dressed creature with scissors instead of fingers; to underline the dark and ethereal imagery evoked by “Caotica Lex”, the work presented by the visual artist, a preview for the smart urban stage. It sounds a bit strange to talk about darkness, while the main theme of the evening is the Light. Although, the charm arisen by Barchiesi’s job is its oxymoronic nature. He draws on the complex world of the algorithmic of chaos (is there anything more obscure for profanes of scientific research?) and he translates it into visual bright experiences. “ I graduated in physics and I have a Phd in research. I’ve always been fascinated by the mathematical branch that deals with chaos. I would have never thought that these subjects could have an aesthetic value”, Says Alessandro. “Then my perspective changed when I got to know the work of Paul Dirac, founder of quantum physics, a man constantly driven by the aesthetics of beauty.” I admit to be completely ignorant about quantum physics. Although the words of Alessandro make me become curious and I find on the Internet a quote of british scholar that I consider to be really fascinating, ” A theory including a mathematical beauty is more likely to be right and correct than an unpleasant one confirmed by experimental data” At this stage I wonder whether there is a link between the artists’ visionarity and the theoretic one of scientists. Barchiesi is very precise on this. “Mathematic has no space to dream. It ‘always good to remember. Being a scientist makes you look at what is aesthetic with an unusual coldness. Get the sunset, for example. I do not perceive it in a picturesque way. For me it is first of all a scientific phenomenon explained by specific rules. The artistic path that I started is helping me to regain possession of that lost point of view. “The interview ends. Claudia takes few pictures (Barchiesi wants to be portrayed from behind). I think of Tim Burton, of his films but also his illustrated stories, like the beautiful ‘Melancholy death of the oyster boy”. Roughly “Story of  a physicist who did not appreciate the sunset as it should” could be one of his works. The audience, during the performance, wasn’t altogether wrong …

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