Through a cross between an artist's book, an illustrated science fiction story, and a glossary of sculptural objects, Ludovica Carbotta explores the concept of “finzione site specific” through various media, authors, and descriptive strategies: a site-oriented practice that considers imaginary places or real locations within fictional contexts, in order to reclaim the role of imagination in the process of constructing knowledge.

Shotgun, Invisible Rail e Spectacled Tyrant is the final chapter of a long-term project that began with the exhibition A Motorway is a very strong wind (Milan, Careof, 2014), which revolved around the tradition of ekphrasis: the oral description of an artwork, whether real or imagined. In the first part of the book, the different descriptions—gathered and embodied in the exhibition's setting—reappear as words, rearranged by the artist into a completely new story. It is just one of many possible narratives born from the multiple possibilities that the science fiction genre makes available.

In its final pages, the book presents a glossary of objects from the series Apart, We Are Together (2015), a direct derivation from the 2014 exhibition. These reproductions, drawings, and detailed descriptions—written by philosopher Federico Campagna, archaeologist Sandro Caranzano, and psychologist Marzia Spagnolo—are presented as if these objects were fully functioning relics.

Texts by Martina Angelotti, Federico Campagna, Ludovica Carbotta, Sandro Caranzano, Marzia Spagnolo.