Where have we come to?
We have come to you!
Marco Cavallo’s first journey through Slovenia – a herald of deinstitutionalisation
8. - 13. June
Programme
Dom na Krasu
15:00 – Visit to the Dom na Krasu with a performance by the Accademia della Follia theatre
15.00 - 17.00 Parade of Marco Cavallo through the centre of Ljubljana (Congress square - Prešern Square - Town Square - Ljubljana Puppet Theatre)
18.00 Arrival to the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO, Grad Fužine Castle)
19:00 Reception for Marco Cavallo at the museum courtyard
20.00 Theatre performance by the Accademia della Follia in MAO
12.00-14.00 Parade through Maribor city centre (Freedom Square - Leon Štukelj Square - Gosposka Street - Main Square)
15.00 Visit to Hrastovec and theatre performance by the Accademia della Follia
Muzej norosti, Trate
17.00 Guided tour of the Museum of Madness
18.00 Procession of the horse to the castle and cultural programme
19.30 Theatre performance by the Accademia della Follia in the courtyard or in the hall
21.00 Film screening at Kino Basaglia: Cantico dei matti (The Song of the Mad, 3’) and Trieste Racconta Basaglia (Trieste Meets Basaglia , 52’) followed by a discussion with director Erika Rossi
Prizorišča EPK, parco Basaglia
18.00 Horse parade through Nova Gorica to Europe Square
20.30 Welcome of the horse in Basaglia Park
21.00 Film screening at Kino Basaglia: Cantico dei matti (The Song of the Mad, 3’) and Noi siamo gli errori che permettono la vostra intelligenza (We Are the Mistakes That Make Your Intelligence Possible, 85’)
Come! Join us!
A journey through images
Help Us Spread the Message!
Distribute flyers in your community! Print them on blue paper or send them via email.
Download the flyer
Design your own blue paper horses and help spread the word about the project. Let them become influencers of deinstitutionalization in your physical or digital community.
Instructional video available
Get involved! Help pull the horse through the centres of Ljubljana or Maribor.
Write or record messages for Marco Cavallo and hand them to him when you meet him. He will carry them across Slovenia and deliver them for the exhibition and documentary at the Museum of Madness.
About the Project
The blue horse Marco Cavallo will travel through Slovenia as part of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025 Nova Gorica / Gorizia. Symbolising the breaking down of walls – both institutional and mental – Marco will spread the message that it is urgent to close institutions where people with disabilities have been confined for decades and to build a welcoming culture supported by a network of community-based services.
He will be accompanied by a caravan of deinstitutionalisation advocates, delivering a programme that highlights the need for modern, inclusive care for people with long-term disabilities.
Marco Cavallo, the Blue Horse, was created in the 1970s by patients at the psychiatric hospital in San Giovanni, Trieste. When institutions were closed under the leadership of visionary psychiatrist Franco Basaglia, these individuals were given a chance to live in the community.
The blue horse – a large paper sculpture embodying their hopes, dreams, and desires – became a symbol of deinstitutionalisation, the dismantling of walls, and the realisation of freedom and independence.
His journey across Slovenia – visiting institutions in Dutovlje and Hrastovec, decision-makers in Ljubljana, the Museum of Madness in Trate, and finishing in Nova Gorica and Gorizia – is a powerful reminder: Life in institutions is an outdated concept. Slovenia must, after more than half a century, truly become an open, inclusive, and welcoming society that provides community-based care for everyone.
Share your message! Tell your story!
You can give your message to Marco during his visit to your city, or send it to: modrikonj@muzejnorosti.eu. Marco will carry your message across Slovenia and deliver it for the exhibition and documentary at the Museum of Madness.
Contact
General Contact
Media and Programme Enquiries
Stories for Marco the Horse
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.