Alternative Photography

"Shot" in San Vito d'Altivole near Treviso, Italy. Carlo Scarpa, on the background. Thanks to Carmen, amaryllis willing to travel from PGH to TV.

Sketch to Structure: For the people

Re-posting this article I wrote on the AIAPGH eColumns magazine, on how buildings take shape. It is the review of an exhibition at the Heinz Architectural Center, back in March 2015. Read the full article here.

The process of architecture is not linear, with much back and forth happening before getting to the built product. Nevertheless, Curator Alyssum Skjeie was able to capture interesting architectural moments – and deliver them to the public – with the Heinz Architectural Center’s latest exhibit ‘Sketch to Structure,’ a collection of drawings, sketches, and architectural models that show how architects work. “The goal is to keep it broad and accessible,” Skjeie points out as we start the visit together…

Pittsburgh, now and then

Design Pittsburgh 2016 edition has just concluded, after a summer of volunteering and prepping, with a month full of events.  I have been on the committee for designing the space, also this year, and the theme was the past, present and future of Pittsburgh. I have produced two graphics that captured the iconic views of Pittsburgh, now and then.

Huge shout out to the Shaw Gallery and Kurt Shaw, for offering us the digital prints of the old images. See more maps and prints here, on their page Treasured Maps. 

The photos of Pittsburgh "now" are taken by me, between 2013 and 2014. 

Architects who run

I have been published once more, on the online magazine of the AIA Pittsburgh!
You can read why Architects should run - and what they can learn.
Read it here .

Below: photos from one of my favorite runs, along the Mononghaela River, between Downtown and the South Side.

Google Car: beyond technology

Google Street View is certainly a powerful tool, for many different purposes. It allows us to explore places we've never been to, remember places we visited, or give us ideas for future travels.

Here I collected some views of places I find inspiring. Hopefully, one day I'll see them with my eyes.

Four Stories to be seen

The YAF Young Architects Forum of Pittsburgh choose me to review an exhibition at the Heinz Architectural Center.

Check it out on the AIA Pittburgh website!

Pecha Kucha #17 - Carnevale a Schignano

On Thursday April 3rd, Pecha Kucha Night was held again in Pittsburgh, for the 17th time. The hosts were AIA Pittsburgh and AIGA Pittsburgh. The location - very appropriate - was the Melwood Screening Room at the Pittsburgh Filmmakers.

I was the third to present, and this time (my fourth time!) I spoke about the Carnevale in Schignano. It was a mix of Italian Tradition, Culture, funny stories about a village, and lots of cousins.

Before publishing my slides, I just want to say that what you'll see in the slides is just a 30% of all the things will happen at the Carnevale. Nevertheless, it is a good introduction to a fascinating event, which is gaining more attention at a national level, in Italy.

Here my Pecha Kucha. Enjoy!

1) First the place: Schignano is my grandma’s village in the North of Italy, Lombardia, near Lake Como. I was born in Milan but spent half of each year there. It’s an old place, poor but fascinating. We have wonderful mountains, forests, fields…

 2) …we have George Clooney, weather permitting. Schignano is very close to Laglio, where he has a house, and we are very proud of him. We would put him out on a balcony, with the flowers, to attract tourists. But now the Carnevale. Our is not very famous, but old. It was founded in the 14th century!

3) It happens every year around February, before the Catholic Lent. The dates would slightly change every year. In Schignano it is like a parade of traditional characters. The public would watch from the sides of the streets, as the parade moves. It’s like a theater, without a fixed text. We mainly have two categories of characters:

4) il Bello, the goodlooking, represents the rich people of the village. Rich families used to play this role, since the costumes were expensive. They have wonderful masks carved in walnut wood, in a light color. Some masks are 100 years old, but people still carve them nowadays. They are really heavy, but wonderful.

5) the Bello has a colorful hat, with silk laces and ribbons, and full of mock flowers. They have many details sewed to their costumes, like glazed or plastic jewels, little dolls and they carry decorated umbrellas, to show their wealth. That’s what they do.

6) On the other side, the Brutto is the ugly one, representing poor people, and in particular the manual laborers coming home from abroad, during the winter. That was very typical of poor people: leaving the village for almost a year. Poor families played the Brutto. They usually have empty and broken luggage, to represent the fact that they had to leave the village for work. 

7) The Brutto wears shreds and smelly furs of dead animals, and ugly wooden masks. The mask is really scary, and it is sometimes colored with red on the lips. Which is even more scarier. With a nasty smile. This one is my 6 years old cousin, Federico. My family is a family of Brutt!

8) There is only one special character. It’s the ciocia, the poor wife of a rich Bello. It’s always performed by a man. She would shout out loud, in dialect, complaining about her miserable condition, dragged around by her husband  with a rope. Since ever, the best ciocia is this guy, called “the magic”. He is my uncle Domenico. 

9) The Carnevale in Schignano is full of noises: people would shout to encourage the characters. Then there is the music from the band and most important, the bells of the masks. The Bello has the rich “bronze”, out of bronze. These are very expensive, and when Carnevale was over, they were used for the real animals at pasture.

10) On the contrary, the poor Brutto has poor bells, out of iron or aluminum. They have a dumb sound, compared to the crystal clear one of the bronze. Again, the bells would be taken on and off from the animals at pasture. They are wore with thick ropes around the waist. 

11) Carnevale in Schignano is very active. This is another cousin of mine, running after a Bello with a broken chair. This is part of the unwritten ply that happens every year: the tricks of the Brutt to the Belli. People would anyway prefer to be a Brutt, even if they become rich, because it’s funnier to be a Brutt. 

12) Brutt have no respect for anyone. They would stop cars, laying on them, or grab the people and touch them in the face, usually with the smelly skins of the dead animals or getting you dirty with only God knows what, and wine. Your first time at the Carnevale could be really upsetting, if you are not ready. 

13) This is the antique dealer of the village, and he has always the most amazing objects. Poor people would show up with broken old tools, usually working tools like sweeps, rakes, shovel. Here you see the gerla, which is a backpack made of crossed sticks. 

14) The Bello would go around the parade walking slowly, and showing off his costume. They are gently and elegant. My Grandma is one of the official tailors of these costumes. The waistcoat is full of dry leaves, collected new every year. She would fix the costumes, and sew the pants.

15) The fabrics are very colorful, some are very old. After getting dressed, you would add all the details, like the jewelry and the wonderful needlework. Many have very old umbrellas, symbol of wealth, or precious fans.The stick as well is pretty important and equally decorated. It is used to keep the Brutt away.

16) The Brutto would go around in a slovenly way, running like a mad, covered with rags and furs. Running is their main activity, to make the ciocche sound louder. Plus they would jump on you, trying to show off as well their stuff, even if it is poor and disgusting.

17) Since all the running is very tiring, they would suddenly and randomly stop, to rest. Anywhere! On the walls, in the middle of the street… they really look dead, or injured. They are usually just drunk, since people would drink for days, to best perform.

18) But the rest is really the Brutt second activity, apart from fooling around. People who see the Carnevale for the first time would think they fainted, or that they are not feeling well. As they get closer, the Brutto would jump as a cricket, push them, and run away.

19) But the best of the Carnevale in Schignano is that under many mask you see plenty of young kids, boys and girls, and they are the strength of the event. Fathers and Grandfather are very proud. Who is not dressed, knows the mask by heart, and the kids are always safe.

20) But I want to end my presentation with Chiara, half Italy and half Capoverde, who is a friend of mine. She is the best part of the Carnevale in Schignano, showing that the best traditions must renew and include everyone. 

the official website http://carnevaledischignano.it/

(Italian)

All my photos about the Carnevale

Flickr Set

A project that you can help:

An entire book about the Carnevale in Schignano!

(English) 

The First Art of.. the year 2014

Despite the temperatures outside weren't those to stimulate any mental faculty, I took the bus and reached the area of the Galleries along Penn Avenue. All in all, it was January the 3rd, the first Friday of the month and of the 2014: I felt like celebrating the beginning of both with a pinch of art.

Here an anthology of the interesting things I saw, in order of apparition:

• Modernformation Gallery

“Our Interconnected World: art and science at the Environmental Charter School”

Presentation of works by kids attending the “Thinking Lab” at the ECS. Students are supported as they tap their creative energies through an exploration of concepts where art and science meet. Students explored Frick Park and then reproduced their memories and sensations through watercolors. Despite the simplicity of the pieces, the overall presentation was very nice and upstanding. All the pieces were on sale, for a reasonable price. I would say that this is a nice lesson of genuine democracy of art. And for one time, I mean it in a positive way. 

I loved the many comments from the students, while and after doing their masterpieces. 

Being a very weak "watercolorer", I totally agree with the statement underneath:

•  Stuff N Such Society

(Basement of Most Wanted Fine Art)
"Darth ad Dolls"
The pieces below captured my attention because... sincerely: they are funny. My favorite piece is the Young Luke Skywalker, painted on Darth Vader. It's almost philosophy there. Almost...

Below, Jia Ji, the artist. 

• The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination

"Make Moves" by Billy Shannon

It is rare, nowadays, to find something interesting in ready-made art. But Bill Shannon did some interesting indeed, and I loved the section of the gallery in which he is displaying some of his found pieces, after being offered a second chance. I found them elegant and very expressive. And a talk with the artist allowed me to discover some stories behind some of them. 

The writing DREAM is composed with salvaged and selected letters, from a building in demolition. And the "love chair" below, was and industrial piece transformed in a comfortable seating. Much more appealing, but still reminding of how tough life (and love) can be. But apparently, it's up to us to make the things more comfortable. Some pillows will help.

Below: a gigantic panel with a scene in the middle. It's a sort of castle made of pieces found in many different occasion, and put together by recollecting memories and images.

Below: pieces found in industrial sites and along railroads. All the pieces can be found and stored for a long time, and being used only when there is a clear vision for them. Billy said that he could go back to work on certain pieces even after months. Art is never finished, in a way, and each piece is the demonstration of a life that keeps evolving, even in objects.

I love the lamp, hanging from the ceiling, but probably from much further away.

• SPACE GALLERY see more here

"Behind our scenes"

up to 01.26.14

This exhibition is all about photography, but there are some works that become almost spatial, if you consider the content and the staging of the pieces. I loved the photos by Annie O'Neil and Nacy Andrews, about an abandoned red-light theater. Some prints were very nice and the overall use of colors very pleasant and well developed. 

"Eleanor's Animal Farm" by Dennis Marsico was very interesting as well, with spatial short-circuits between the world of a 14 months old kid, and the world of adults. She is playing in her world, full of plastic animals. And a true cat, sharing its food with the toys. Other works by Dennis were also displayed, even if this was the one that most stimulated my fantasy.

Barbara Weissberger (in the image below) was displaying some photos about magic and organic collages, full of colors and hidden meanings. The overall composition was very different from piece to piece, in a pleasant complexity in front of which you can spend a fair amount of good time. 

(image above taken from the SPACE Facebook Page. ©SPACE Gallery)

• Future Tenant

"Shame of the city"

up to 01.12.14

Cool experiment of a group of artists, selected by Joseph Lupo. Each artist had to interpret a page from a comic magazine on Iron Man. Some interpretation were hilarious, other very psychological, and many were just great to see. Something to check out in person, before the exhibit closes on january 12th. If you are Downtown, stop by - you won't be disappointed.

(above: official poster from Future Tenant website. ©Future Tenant)