DRIFT - Shy Society
DRIFT, Shy Society, Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze, 2024. Photo Ela Bialkowska, OKNOstudio. Video The Factory Prd.
A new installation for the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi unveils a contemporary perspective on Renaissance architecture.
From October 23, 2024, to January 26, 2025, as part of the Palazzo Strozzi Future Art program in collaboration with the Fondazione Hillary Merkus Recordati, the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi presents Shy Society, a spectacular, site-specific outdoor installation for the Palazzo Strozzi courtyard by the Dutch artist-duo DRIFT, renowned for interdisciplinary installations, artworks and performances that blend art and technology.
Shy Society transcends the boundaries between installation, sculpture, and music, transforming the Renaissance courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi into an immersive stage for a performance that merges art, nature, and technology. The work consists of seven large elements placed in the open space of the courtyard that float slowly and sinuously, opening and closing in a genuine choreography. Their dance is accompanied by an evocative soundtrack by the contemporary American composer RZA that creates an atmosphere of contemplation and strong sensory engagement. Each element continuously unfolds and retracts based on software designed to mimic the unpredictable and natural movements of flowers, thus offering a reflection on the interrelationship between nature and artifice, control and wonder.
Shy Society is inspired by the fascinating natural phenomenon known as “nyctinasty,” where certain species of plants and flowers close at night and reopen at sunrise for self-defense and to conserve their resources. This phenomenon not only prompts us to reflect on the concept of beauty, between nature and artifice, but also invites us to consider the idea of adaptation to the environment by all forms of life.
Just as flowers open and close in response to natural cycles, we humans are also called to transform and adapt to the challenges presented by our surroundings. This installation reminds us that metamorphosis is an integral part of life and that adaptation is essential for our survival.
Collaboration, technological experimentation, and the blending of disciplines are key elements in the work of DRIFT. The duo works in close synergy with scientists, programmers, and engineers, as well as musicians, dancers, and other visual artists to realize their projects. Thus, the work of DRIFT embodies the concept of creating a dialogue between opposites: nature and technology, knowledge and intuition, science and poetry.
The installation at Palazzo Strozzi is an invitation to reimagine the historical context of Palazzo Strozzi as a new and evocative place of exploration, where each visitor becomes an active protagonist in an immersive and multisensory experience that allows us to reconsider our relationship with nature and the space around us.
Shy Society is a project by DRIFT, part of the program Palazzo Strozzi Future Art, developed by Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and Fondazione Hillary Merkus Recordati. Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi Public Supporters: Comune di Firenze, Regione Toscana, Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Camera di Commercio di Firenze. Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi Private Supporters: Fondazione CR Firenze, Intesa Sanpaolo, Fondazione Hillary Merkus Recordati, Comitato dei Partner di Palazzo Strozzi. For the collaboration to the Shy Society project, thanks to: Jerome Hadey and Villa Lena Foundation.