sound installation for problematic urban settings
2008-09 in Bergamo, Italy and later in other contexts
Between the railroad station and the elegant main shopping drag in “lower” Bergamo there is a street called Via Quarenghi, known as “the most multi-ethnic street” in the city. Nowadays there are ambitious programs to combat the “urban decay” of this neighborhood, but when we were asked to do a work there many of the buildings were abandoned and locked up. People had moved away from the street in the wake of the opening of some kebab shops and international phone-internet points frequented by immigrants.
Today even the city’s fine arts academy has created an outpost, and articles talk about how the local government is wagering on “art and culture” to make this miniature slum into a trendy “young” area.
The installation utilised large speakers inside the courtyard of an abandoned building. The main door on the street was locked at all times. Passers-by on the street could faintly hear the sound of a wild party that seemed to be happening inside.
