The Call for Artists launched in October 2024 by the Ostia Antica Archaeological Park in collaboration with Melting Pro in the framework of the European project AHEAD - Accessible Heritage Experience for Audience Development saw the participation of 14 artists, including international ones, characterised by very high quality, originality and artistic level.

The candidate artists' portfolios, previous experience in cultural and design-thinking projects, as well as their versatility in working with the two target groups selected for the project: young people from high schools and the over-65s in the area were analysed.

Finally, the commission selected the film-maker Simone Vacca: a 34-year-old film director and visual artist based in Rome, author of short films and docufilms, whose central themes are related to inequality and social marginality. The artist has to his credit collaborations with cultural institutes, foundations and public bodies with a view to the realisation of co-creative cultural projects, listening to and observing the people involved. Among these, he has worked with the Uffizi Gallery and the Gypstotheca Canoviana, managing to create a dialogue between ancient and contemporary artistic languages. In addition, he has worked on the sets of Italian and international films.

Simone Vacca will be present at the next project workshops and will be an active part of the collective creative process behind the AHEAD project.

Showreel link: https://vimeo.com/484479893/4c5370a6f5