“I really enjoyed creating this work because it allowed me to be involved in the project in its entirety, from the walls to the stage, the bar, the cloakroom, the logo graphics, the tables, everything that contributes to the image of a place.”
— Loris Cecchini interviewed by Jérôme Sans and Pier Luigi Tazzi, Art to Art VI, 2001
On the occasion of the VI edition of Art to Art, has been chosen by the curators Jérôme Sans and Pier Luigi Tazzi the project Loris Cecchini per “Sonar – La Casa della Musica” a Colle di Val d'Elsa.
"Loris Cecchini, winner of the competition to design House of Music – Sonar, Together with Alessandro Bagella, they have realised an ambitious project that spans both the exterior and interior of the building, covering 200 m2. On the façade, Cecchini plays with a linoleum cladding, while inside, curved lines dominate, a metaphor for sound waves, in the ’fresco“ that runs along all the walls, in the mixing desk, and in the bar counter.
A thin white design on gray, originating from a three-dimensional design software, the XZ axis (horizontal plane) to which perspective distortions and filters have been applied, creating a zeroed trompe-l'œil of continuous perspectival space.
The perception of graphic space is enhanced by the use of Wood lamps, which highlight the development of the design on the walls, creating the optical illusion of an expanded space in depth and width.
A new play of matter and form, an example of how contemporary art can interact with architecture, enhancing and emphasizing its atmosphere, transforming the space into a "place" where visual art and music will have a continuous, immediate, and above all, permanent encounter."
Jérôme Sans, Arte all’Arte VI, 2001
Interview by Jérôme Sans and Pier Luigi Tazzi
How much and in what way are you interested in electronic culture?
La trovo interessante sotto diversi aspetti. In primo luogo per le qualità di modifica percettiva indotte dalla virtualità, nella lettura e nell’assorbimento del referente reale: questo avviene su vari livelli, riferito sia agli apparati visuali che al suono.
In both virtualization and the real dimension, space and the objects that characterize it are often present in equal measure, but in the former case, the two-dimensional nature of the screen creates a distance and a detachment from the physical qualities of the surrounding reality: what interests me is this kind of loss and filtered reinterpretation conveyed through the usual visual experience, without the use of special technological tools like 3D glasses or datagloves.
What was your approach in creating this project at the House of Music?
Mi sono immaginato una scatola musicale dove si ha la percezione di uno spazio diverso attraverso un disegno che rappresenta una specie di oceano di onde sonore ma allo stesso tempo una sorta di paesaggio infinito nel suo azzeramento. L’idea nasce dai software di progettazione tridimensionale usando l’asse orizzontale XZ come spazio aperto a varie possibilità, una zona in cui il pubblico prendesse corpo in un ambito astratto progettuale, ma anche direttamente legato all’infografica. Così è nato l’interno; per l’esterno l’ispirazione è abbastanza simile perché pensavo a un processo di renderizzazione della superficie, passaggio base per chi lavora con il digitale. Il rendering è la qualità di superficie applicata all’elemento progettuale: quando si disegna un’auto, un telefono, un’architettura, nella fase conclusiva di visualizzazione si applica un rivestimento o un colore all’oggetto; qui l’idea era portare nello spazio reale una qualità plastica che ricordasse una specie di giocattolo, come un oggetto uscito dalla scatola dei Lego.
Che rapporto c’è tra questo lavoro e le opere in gomma o le fotografie per le quali sei ormai noto?
The choice of rubber as one of the base materials in my work refers to the effect of coating, a covering like skin that envelops and becomes the object in question. In this project, I used industrial plastic pipes in the same way, enhancing the objecthood of the entire architecture. The interior, however, is more distant from my photographic works, which are still based on the principle of constructing a virtual image through models. In both cases, the reference to the surface is strong: in the case of the House of Music, it becomes a three-dimensional space, but also a surface to be composed like a graphic page. I really enjoyed creating this work because it allowed me to take care of the project in its entirety, from the walls to the stage, the bar, the cloakroom, the logo design, the tables, everything that serves as the image of a place, thus creating a connection between my way of making art and practical functions more closely linked to the intended use of the design.
How do you work? Do you only use the computer?
Everything started and developed on the computer. I found the transformation of all these elements extraordinary as they take on physical weight and become real from the screen of a laptop. The shift from the fluid movements of the two-dimensional screen to the gravity and weight of matter. It's a bit like the same transformation I try to achieve with sculptures, even though they are taken from reality and follow an opposite path; in a sense, they become virtualized within the physical reality. Through this work, I began to better understand architecture and how architects today can develop total projects, from the measurement of components to the quality of the form that leads to the final result. From abstract calculations to solid reality. For example, they talk about liquid architecture, and once objects leave the screen, architectural elements directly gain weight. For me, it was also crucial to have a role recognized by the client, understood at the political level, which is quite rare in Italy. And it was also a kind of challenge from the beginning, since my first project was limited to the wall drawing.
A volte nei tuoi lavori precedenti c’era uno scarto di scala, ora sembra che tu abbia aggirato l’altra via.
Lo scarto di scala è in qualche modo riferito a un’idea di modellizzazione della realtà, portando su un piano di paradosso visuale e di revisione dei modelli oggettivi che conosciamo bene e a cui siamo abituati. Allo stesso tempo non ha niente a che vedere con i giocattoli giganti di Oldenburg e forse ha molto a che vedere con certa architettura olandese di oggi. O, in modo diverso, al set di un film. Un palcoscenico aperto pronto per ogni immagine o colonna sonora.
Art at Art VI, 2001
Credits
Loris Cecchini
House of Music – Sonar
Colle di Val d'Elsa, special project for Art in Art 2001
Photo of Elsa Bialkowska
© Associazione Arte Continua
