Curiosities

The $66 Million Sausage: Art, Irony, and a Dash of Common Sense

Gianni Sarcone

After the world lost its mind over a duct-taped banana selling for over $6 million, I present to you: the duct-taped Italian sausage. Stylishly Italian, delightfully produit du terroir, and—let’s be honest—way more practical. I’m aiming for at least $66 million at auction because, unlike a banana that turns into compost in a week, a fermented sausage can outlive your art collection.

Sure, the banana sparked debates and grabbed international headlines since its debut at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. And hey, I’m all for a good debate—it keeps things interesting. But let’s be real: the world is full of rich fools willing to throw stupid money at stupid things just because everyone’s talking about them. So, here’s hoping my sausage can inspire the same level of ridiculous hype. Fingers crossed!

Genesis of G

Gianni Sarcone

The lowercase ‘g’ is one of the most distinctive letters in the Latin alphabet, showcasing a variety of shapes across different styles.

The Latin alphabet, created around 753 BC, originated from the Etruscan alphabet, itself derived from Greek. Its earliest known inscription is on the ‘Praeneste Fibula’, a 7th-century BC cloak pin, reading “Manios med fhefhaked numasioi” (Classical Latin: “Manius me fecit Numerio” or “Manius made me for Numerius”).

Since Etruscan lacked the voiced plosive G, the letter G was introduced around 230 BC by Spurius Carvilius Ruga as a modified version of C.

As the Roman Empire expanded, the Latin alphabet spread throughout Europe, leading to its adoption in many languages. Today, it serves as the foundation for numerous writing systems worldwide, illustrating its lasting impact on global communication.

Paradossal… Mente!

Gianni Sarcone

Sabato 21 dicembre ti aspettiamo alla Mostra delle Illusioni di Genova per “Paradossal…mente“, il laboratorio interattivo sulla percezione visiva che ho ideato e che guiderò personalmente. Non mancare!


I partecipanti saranno attivamente coinvolti in esperienze che mettono alla prova le percezioni: scopriranno illusioni ottiche inedite, creeranno giochi percettivi sconcertanti e indagheranno vari paradossi e misteri della mente e del sistema visivo. Ogni esperienza invita a riflettere su come il cervello può “ingannarci” o lasciarsi influenzare da ciò che lo circonda

Durata del laboratorio: 1 ora circaIl Materiale per il laboratorio creativo sarà fornito direttamente dalla Mostra delle Illusioni.

🔹APPUNTAMENTI:
🔸1 TURNO ORE 14:30
🔸2 TURNO ORE 15:30
🔸3 TURNO ORE 16:30

🔹QUOTA LABORATORIO:
ADULTO (18+): 20€
BAMBINO (8-17): 15€

🔹QUOTA LABORATORIO + MOSTRA:
ADULTO (18+): 30€
BAMBINO (8-17): 25€

🤩 Portate con voi la vostra curiosità…al resto ci pensiamo noi!

📍 Dove
Magazzini del Cotone – Modulo 1, Porto Antico di Genova
✅ Prenota al numero: 389-5540263 oppure scrivi a: mostragenova@lamostradelleillusioni.com

Mesmerizing Color-Changing Squid

Gianni Sarcone

Squids are basically the chameleons of the sea, and their secret weapon? Chromatophores—tiny skin cells that let them pull off some mind-blowing color changes. Whether it’s blending into a coral reef or throwing out some serious “back off” vibes, these little guys do it all. Right now, though, this squid seems to be saying: “Hey genius, put me back in the water before you turn me into calamari!”

Chromatophores of the Squid: How Do They Work?
Chromatophores are pigment-containing cells found in the skin of squids and other cephalopods. These cells expand and contract to display different colors, allowing the squid to blend into its surroundings, communicate with others, or signal threats. They play a vital role in the squid’s survival.

Stardust

Gianni Sarcone

Here’s the recipe to make an average-sized human: 15 kg of carbon, 4 kg of nitrogen, 1 kg of calcium, half a kg of phosphorus, 200 g of sodium, 150 g of potassium, 150 g of chlorine, a few grams of about 15 other elements (some exotic, like selenium, lithium, and vanadium in trace amounts), and four 10-liter buckets of water.

The 40 liters of water can be made by combining 5 kg of hydrogen and 35 kg of oxygen. Commercial cost? Just a few euros.
The hydrogen and a pinch of lithium come from the Big Bang, about 15 billion years ago. The other ingredients are more recent; they required billions of years of cosmic evolution, with stars being born, shining, dying, and reforming in nebulae from stellar collapse.
The 15 kg of carbon was formed in a star’s final stages by combining three helium atoms. The 35 kg of oxygen came from the fusion of carbon and helium in extremely hot stars. Iron is the ash of spent stars, and calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, sodium, and nitrogen also come from these stellar forges.
Traces of even heavier elements reach us from supernovae. In short, we are born from the stars.

Illusive Concentric Circles

Gianni Sarcone

My op art piece Trinacria (1997) features three black-and-white zig-zagging shapes spiraling together to create the illusion of interwoven concentric circles. These jagged, repeating patterns add a sense of depth to the piece and produce a subtle rotating effect that seems to shift as you follow each line with your eyes.

Prints and canvases of Trinacria are available in my online gallery.

Below, an animated version enhances the effect. By focusing on the center, viewers can observe virtual circles appearing to move inward or outward, adding to the piece’s dynamic sense of rotation and depth.

Layering Up: A Creative Look at AI

Gianni Sarcone

Ever wondered how Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) process images? Imagine putting a photo through a pasta machine… TWICE! This creative experiment, inspired by artist Kensuke Koike, demonstrates how CNNs break down data into smaller, layered features, just like the pasta machine creates four clear images from a single input.

© Kensuke Koike

Two Mind-Bending Aquariums

Gianni Sarcone

At first glance, they seem to be the same, but take a closer look… Can you spot what’s wrong?

I’ve always been fascinated by impossible figures, which psychologists call “undecidable figures”, meaning visual representations that challenge our perception and understanding of reality. Since the late 1980s, I’ve continued to explore this field and create new illusions, producing a series of drawings that play with the third dimension, manipulating perspectives and proportions to create original visual effects.

My work draws inspiration from two masters of optical art and impossible objects: Josef Albers and Oscar Reutersvärd. Their innovations and creations have always inspired and motivated me to continue my research in this field.

The Red Wine Color Illusion

Gianni Sarcone

Does the color of wine change when poured into a glass?
Although it may appear darker, the red shade remains the same. This visual trick is a result of the Munker-White illusion—where our brain perceives colors differently depending on their surrounding context.

If you’re fascinated by puzzles like this, reach out to my syndication agent to feature them in your publication.

This op art piece is also available as prints and canvases in my online gallery.