The terms Arte Povera can be translated as “poor art” and was coined by the Italian art critic Germano Celant. Poor here means its characteristic exploratory variety of materials.1 The main goal of the arte povera movement was to question or reject ideas around Italian historical art similar to ideas around futurism, again rejecting the ideas of artistic tradition. Fundamentally, arte povera has been interpreted as based on the potential of movement, energy and matter. It was also the demonstration of what was inanimate becoming animate. Some traditional examples of these ideas are found in Giovanni Anselmo's work Breathing, 1969. 2 The piece featured two 5 m long iron bars sandwiched in a sea sponge. As the metal contracts and expands, the sponge breathes almost like a lung. Although unable to see movement, Anselmo exhibited the potential for movement, such as growing fingernails. In a sense, Arte Povera moved away from what can be considered a dry, cerebral approach to artistic practice and theorizing, according to artist Craig.