Maeve Brennan
Siticulosa
10.06.2026
Maeve Brennan
Siticulosa
10.06.2026
To mark the reopening of the archaeological excavations at Vereto, studioconcreto contributed to the programme of activities at the site with an in situ screening of Siticulosa (2025), a film by British artist Maeve Brennan.
The new excavation campaign embraced a participatory approach to archaeology, opening both the excavation itself and the study of archaeological finds to the local community. By encouraging direct engagement with the research process, these practices aim to foster a greater awareness of how archaeological heritage is protected, interpreted and shared.
Within this context, the screening of Siticulosa offered another perspective from which to consider the territory. Moving through Puglia, from the Tavoliere to southern Salento, the film unfolds as a layered narrative in which geology, archaeology and ecology converge, tracing the material and symbolic transformations of the landscape. The work also engages with the history of the excavations at Vereto, placing it within a broader reflection on practices of extraction, appropriation and preservation, and on the relationships between environment, resources and patterns of settlement.
The screening was preceded by a conversation between Maeve Brennan; Valentino Nizzo, Scientific Director of the Vereto excavation; Roberto Polo, farmer and specialist in regenerative agriculture; and Giovanni Giangreco, an expert in archaeological and cultural heritage. The discussion brought archaeological research into dialogue with contemporary agricultural practices.
This connection also took material form during the event: a selection of recently excavated finds was displayed alongside locally produced goods and a seed exchange, bringing together different yet complementary practices of preservation and transmission.
Archaeology works through the layers and discontinuities of the ground, allowing material traces of the past to become legible and open to interpretation once again. Agricultural practice, meanwhile, sustains varieties, techniques and forms of knowledge that risk disappearing through the cultivation, selection and passing on of seeds. In both cases, safeguarding is not simply a matter of preserving what already exists, but an active practice that enables a shared heritage to endure and be passed on.
Realised in collaboration with Archeorete del Mediterraneo and the Archaeological Museum of Vereto.