On October 16 in Troina, in the heart of the Nebrodi Mountains, the opening of the new photography exhibition “In-genium. Gazes into technology past and future” took place—a cultural project promoted by MAIRE and the Fondazione MAIRE – ETS. After stops in Rome, Milan, and Catania, the exhibition is coming to eastern Sicily for the first time with the goal of fostering a dialogue between culture, innovation, education, and the local community.

Housed in the Torre Capitania and open to the public through December, the new and revamped exhibition features photographs taken by students and faculty from the Academies of Fine Arts in Catania, Rome, and Milan as part of an artist residency held at the Colosseum Archaeological Park in Rome in 2024. Through the language of photography, the project invites visitors to reflect on the value of human ingenuity and the connection between the great works of antiquity and the technological challenges of the present. The six keywords that guide the exhibition—design, measure, channel, mix, lift, and reuse—serve as lenses through which to observe the dialogue between the past and the future.

The Troina stage was the result of a collaboration between MAIRE, the MAIRE – ETS Foundation, the Municipality of Troina, and the “Don Bosco – E. Majorana” Comprehensive School, an institution that for years has served as an important educational hub for hundreds of students from the Nebrodi area and the provinces of Enna, Messina, and Catania. The inaugural program brought together institutions, schools, cultural associations, and local representatives for a discussion focused on the relationship between images, learning, community, and the younger generation.

The exhibition also marked the starting point of a new initiative: during the ceremony on October 16, the Fondazione MAIRE – ETS and the “Don Bosco – E. Majorana” Comprehensive Institute signed a school-to-work training agreement, launching a collaboration dedicated to local high school students. This gave rise to a true “project within a project”: alongside visits to the exhibition, an educational program will be developed for high school students, featuring career guidance and training on the topics of sustainability, the energy transition, climate change, and decarbonization technologies.

Students interested in these topics and eager to embark on this educational journey will form a new class - from among the school’s 9th, 10th, and 11th graders - and follow a specialized program curated by the Fondazione MAIRE – ETS, consisting of at least 15 hours of training. They will have the opportunity to engage with professionals and experts in the field, visit the NEXTCHEM headquarters in Catania, and gain direct exposure to the world of innovation and some of the skills most in demand today as part of the energy transition.

This is an opportunity to introduce young people to the professions of the future and to provide them with practical tools for understanding the environmental, social, and technological transformations that are reshaping our era. The initiative strengthens the bond between schools, the local community, and businesses, offering young people a hands-on experience.

This new stage of “In-genium” thus reaffirms the multidisciplinary nature of the project, which over time has become much more than a photography exhibition: a cultural, educational, and outreach initiative that brings together historical heritage, contemporary art, and technological innovation, involving cultural institutions, universities, young artists, professionals, and local communities.

In Troina, this dialogue takes on special significance. On the one hand, it involves promoting the area’s historical and cultural heritage; on the other, it involves investing in the younger generations through concrete educational activities. A meeting of memory and the future that makes culture not only a tool for knowledge but also an opportunity for growth and development for local communities!

To stay up to date on the progress of the new training project in Troina, stay tuned!

To learn about all the stages of the “In-genium” project, visit the dedicated landing page.