A mosaic to commemorate at the “Il Tagliamento” Upper Secondary School
On Saturday 19 September 2026, as part of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Friuli earthquake, the mosaic work Saetta iridescente 2026 was unveiled at the “Il Tagliamento” Upper Secondary School in Spilimbergo.
The work, a contemporary installation created by the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli – specifically by students on the 2025/26 advanced course – is a reinterpretation of a detail from the Saetta iridescente designed at the School by master artist Giulio Candussio in 2004 for the Ground Zero metro station in New York. The mosaic, now on display in the entrance hall of the Spilimbergo institute, reproduces, on a smaller scale, the iconography, chromatic vibrancy and compositional dynamism of the original model. The connection between the two mosaics derives its significance from the context and the motivations behind the creation of both works. In 2004, the Saetta iridescente (‘Iridescent Lightning Bolt’) was created at the initiative of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region to express, through one of the region’s distinctive artistic forms, its solidarity with the United States following the tragedy of the 11 September attacks (2001). It was a demonstration of those values of brotherhood and solidarity that the United States had put into practice through the material and financial aid sent to Friuli immediately after the earthquake of 6 May 1976.
The construction of the current premises of the “Il Tagliamento” Institute was made possible by a substantial donation that the US government made to Spilimbergo following a concert tour of the United States by the Tomat choir.
In the year marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Friuli earthquake, the Institute’s new Saetta iridescente serves as a daily reminder to students of the real possibilities for unity, dialogue and mutual support amongst peoples. Gratitude knows no expiry date, and art can give it a concrete and eternal form.
the headteacher, Lucia D’Andrea,
and the president of the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli, Stefano Lovison.
