Concrete Jungle

Spaziale, Italian Pavilion, International Architecture Exhibition in Venice - Biennale di Venezia, from May 20th to November 26th 2023, Venice.

From the idea of Concrete Jungle in the metropolis subcultures all the way to the Primitive Metropolis (Branzi, 2015), the urban space and its Third Landscape (Clement, 2004) tell us about the relationship between natural and artificial, in the relationship between man and nature. Through the farsighted action of a few Marghera inhabitants the external nave of the Gesù Divino Lavoratore of Marghera was transformed into an actual climbing wall. From that point onwards, two days a week for 20 years, the Sgrafa Masegni association, together with a board multicultural community has transformed the outdoor space of the church into a place of sharing and exchange of values of this sport (climbing). Concrete Jungle finds its place in this context, building an ecosystem of support for the activities of the association. Thanks to the Concrete Jungle project the old and used climbing holds were substituted. The expert route setter, Marzio Nardi, of FASI (The Italian Climbing Federation) designed new lines with new appliances and holds donated by sponsors, to be used for the first time during the annual Arrampilandia event on Apr 27, 2023 . The project aims at building support for the existing community, identifying in its activity a new city-planning means tied to the local community. Through this means we are able to study the duality of the relationship between natural and artificial and to find new methods to intervene in an anthropized habitat. The actual installation at the Biennale was designed to be permanent and not be thrown away. It will be repurposed near the Church of Gesu Lavoratore, to create a new bouldering infrastructure at the disposal of the Sgrafa Masegni association.

 

CONCRETE JUNGLE is a project part of ”Spaziale: Ognuno appartiene a tutti gli altri”, curated by Fosbury Architecture (Giacomo Ardesio, Alessandro Bonizzoni, Nicola Campri, Veronica Caprino, Claudia Mainardi) for the Italian Pavilion in the context XXVIII International Architecture Exhibition in Venice – Biennale di Venezia, promoted by Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea del Ministero della Cultura.

 

A project by Parasite 2.0
Advisor: Elia Fornari-Brain Dead

Incubator: M9 Museum (Mestre)
Main sponsor: Vibram
Sponsors: Luisa Via Roma – Montura
Technical sponsor: Davanzo Manufatti in Cemento – Ing. Claudio Sosio De Rosa – FASI (Federazione Arrampicata Sportiva Italiana)
Photographer: Teo Giovanni Poggi, Melania Dalle Grave-DSL Studio
Creative Producer: Claudia Decaro

 

Video:

Directed by Achille Mauri
DOP: Stefano Steno
Author and interviewer: Parasite2.0
Creative Producer: Claudia Decaro
Editor: Filippo Patelli

Colorist: Vieri Dalla Chiesa
Graphics: Brain Dead
Original Music: Marco Conti

Collaborators: Sara Barilli, Giorgia Leone.

Thanks to SgrafaMasegni (Marghera), Marzio Narni.