A little-known itinerary connects the experiences of various artists, art critics, architects, and designers who, in the 1970s, sought to develop new approaches to creative and cultural management in Italy, operating outside traditional institutions. Their primary focus was on involving and mediating the needs of marginalized individuals and communities. This professional and ethical journey began with a critique of art institutions and technical design, drawing from both Italian and international traditions of field research, biographical investigation, and anti-authoritarian education. It found valuable experimental and propositional terrain in long-term participatory practices and engagement with the urban space and its margins. The case studies that illustrate, but do not exhaust, this narrative include the Neapolitan suburbs, where architect Riccardo Dalisi moved his university courses; the working-class neighborhoods of Rome, protagonists of “Operazione Roma Eterna,” a project initiated by historian and art critic Enrico Crispolti; and the streets of Sesto San Giovanni, a municipality in Milan’s industrial ring, where artists, art critics, and residents sought to create a bottom-up commissioning process. These experiences intersected with well-known figures, including representatives of “arte programmata” like Davide Boriani and Gabriele Devecchi, as well as artists’ cooperatives collaborating with newly established local organizations. Each case study is examined in its unique context while being connected to a broader debate that intensified after 1968. The “heroic” image of the artist and the innovative role of design cultures were scrutinized, prompting calls for reforms within Italy’s cultural institutions. Social issues began to intertwine with ecological concerns. Art and design started incorporating methods from sociology, anthropology, communication theory, semiotics, and environmental design, alongside anti-authoritarian pedagogies and community organizing and civil movements practices. Terms such as “project,” “creativity,” “environment,” “praxis,” “education,” and “mediation” characterize this journey. When revisited within the specific contexts of these experiences, these concepts still resonate in today’s debate around cultural development and socially engaged art.
Un itinerario poco noto unisce le vicende di alcuni artisti, critici d’arte, architetti e designer che negli anni Settanta cercarono di sviluppare in Italia nuovi approcci creativi e di gestione culturale al di fuori di istituzioni e luoghi deputati, interessandosi soprattutto al coinvolgimento e alla mediazione dei bisogni degli individui più marginalizzati. Un percorso, professionale ed etico, che inizia con la contestazione degli istituti artistici e della progettazione tecnica, incrocia tradizioni italiane e non di ricerca sul campo, indagine biografica e didattica antiautoritaria, trovando in pratiche partecipate di lungo termine e nel confronto con la città e i suoi margini il proprio terreno di sperimentazione e proposizione. I casi di studio che compongono, ma non esauriscono, questo racconto attraversano le periferie napoletane, dove l’architetto Riccardo Dalisi sposta i suoi corsi universitari; i rioni operai della capitale, protagonisti di Operazione Roma Eterna, manifestazione promossa dallo storico e critico d’arte Enrico Crispolti. Ma anche le strade di Sesto San Giovanni, comune dell’anello industriale milanese, dove artisti, critici d’arte e residenti tenteranno di avviare un processo di committenza dal basso. Queste vicende incrociano personalità già note, tra cui esponenti dell’arte programmata come Davide Boriani e Gabriele Devecchi, e cooperative di artisti che collaborano con neonati organismi territoriali. Ogni caso di studio è indagato nel proprio specifico e allo stesso tempo connesso a un dibattito più ampio, intensificatosi dopo il 1968. Si mettevano allora in discussione la figura “eroica” dell’artista e la funzione innovatrice delle culture del progetto, invocando una riforma delle istituzioni culturali in Italia. Domande sociali si univano a preoccupazioni ecologiche. Arte e progettazione abbracciavano i metodi di sociologia, antropologia, teoria della comunicazione, semiotica ed environmental design, ma anche pedagogie antiautoritarie e le pratiche dell’associazionismo e dei movimenti civili. “Progetto”, “creatività”, “ambiente”, “prassi”, “educazione” e “mediazione” sono alcune parole che caratterizzano questo itinerario e che, ristabilite nello specifico che assunsero per i protagonisti di queste vicende, risuonano ancora oggi quando si discute di progettazione culturale o di un’arte socialmente impegnata.
Progetto e mediazione. Esperienze in Italia tra arte, architettura e progettazione culturale (1968-1976).
sara catenacci
In corso di stampa
Abstract
A little-known itinerary connects the experiences of various artists, art critics, architects, and designers who, in the 1970s, sought to develop new approaches to creative and cultural management in Italy, operating outside traditional institutions. Their primary focus was on involving and mediating the needs of marginalized individuals and communities. This professional and ethical journey began with a critique of art institutions and technical design, drawing from both Italian and international traditions of field research, biographical investigation, and anti-authoritarian education. It found valuable experimental and propositional terrain in long-term participatory practices and engagement with the urban space and its margins. The case studies that illustrate, but do not exhaust, this narrative include the Neapolitan suburbs, where architect Riccardo Dalisi moved his university courses; the working-class neighborhoods of Rome, protagonists of “Operazione Roma Eterna,” a project initiated by historian and art critic Enrico Crispolti; and the streets of Sesto San Giovanni, a municipality in Milan’s industrial ring, where artists, art critics, and residents sought to create a bottom-up commissioning process. These experiences intersected with well-known figures, including representatives of “arte programmata” like Davide Boriani and Gabriele Devecchi, as well as artists’ cooperatives collaborating with newly established local organizations. Each case study is examined in its unique context while being connected to a broader debate that intensified after 1968. The “heroic” image of the artist and the innovative role of design cultures were scrutinized, prompting calls for reforms within Italy’s cultural institutions. Social issues began to intertwine with ecological concerns. Art and design started incorporating methods from sociology, anthropology, communication theory, semiotics, and environmental design, alongside anti-authoritarian pedagogies and community organizing and civil movements practices. Terms such as “project,” “creativity,” “environment,” “praxis,” “education,” and “mediation” characterize this journey. When revisited within the specific contexts of these experiences, these concepts still resonate in today’s debate around cultural development and socially engaged art.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
