Villa Cernigliaro is hosting Il Poefono, a work by Tommaso Correale Santacroce, curated by Enrica Benedetto, which transforms a telephone into a poetic and relational device, capable of bringing together voice, listening and algorithmic combinations.

The exhibition, running from 18 April to 31 May 2026, invites the public to perform a simple yet unusual act: choose a number, pick up the receiver and receive a poem in return.

Terrarium as a promoter of Poefono

The initiative has been launched in collaboration with Terrarium – Arte in crescita, the project’s promoter, and forms part of its work to support artistic practices in harmony with nature, with the installation of the Poefoni in the park of Villa Cernigliaro to mark the opening on 18 April. Terrarium, an active participant in the international MA/DONNE art movement, has chosen Enrica Benedetto as curator of the project that takes the Poefono on tour, even hosting it within its own premises.

How the opera works

The Poefono contains 100 poems written over a period of two years, organised in such a way that the sequence of the numbers entered generates a different poem each time. The device also allows users to choose between a female or male voice and to interact using their own voice, which is analysed using psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic criteria to generate a poetic response tailored to the listener.

An invitation to listen

Poefono thus presents itself as an experience that directly engages the audience, inviting them to choose, project and listen. At Villa Cernigliaro, the work provides an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between technology and humanity, between chance and desire, and between the written word and the spoken voice.