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In assenza - Luce

Giorgio Della Marianna, Gaia Castelli, Michele Taborelli, Federico Muratori

Evoking a missing sign.


This short film is the second in a series of three aimed at analyzing, exploring and criticizing, through moving images, the War Memorial in Como designed by Giuseppe Terragni starting from a drawing by Antonio Sant'Elia. On the occasion of Sant'Elia's death anniversary, and its celebrations, a workshop tutored by director Ila Bêka and participated by students from Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio was held, promoted by Ordine degli architetti di Como and curated by architects Stefano Larotonda and Niccolò Nessi.

Citizens in Como perceive the War Memorial as a tower, a visible landmark along the lake shores, a renowned sign in the territorial system of references which includes the Baradello and the Brunate lighthouse. The War Memorial is a sort of incomplete tower however, as its bulky proportions limit its elevation towards the sky which was, on the other hand, emphasised in Sant'Elia's drawings as well as in Terragni's project. In the latter, especially, the top of the tower was supposed to accommodate a large light, used to give to the building a peculiar aspect of light tower as it would be a sign of pure modernity in the urban fabric. This missing part can in any case give way to an open space to be interpreted by the city: the missing lantern is substituted with an animated one, ever changing and thus recalling the main concepts in Sant'Elia's work. The tower get a new aspect, one which is spread across the surrounding landscape and reinforces the perception of the building as a monument.

Credits

Authors: Chan-Woo Park, Alexandra Zervudachi
Architect: Giuseppe Terragni
Mentioned project: War Memorial (1930-33) based on a drawing by Antonio Sant'Elia (1912-14)
Project location: Como, Italy
Production: Ordine degli Architetti PPC della Provincia di Como
Tutor: Ila Bêka
Workshop coordinators: Stefano Larotonda, Niccolò Nessi
Photography Assistant: Marco Cappelletti

Italy 2016
Duration: 3'44''