With the inevitable dark glasses and hat, dressed in black (by Moncler), JR arrives running into Piazza Duca d’Aostain front of Central Station of Milan and immediately starts moving gates, chatting with the first onlookers, showing off his new creation: it is The birtha sculpture-installation of enormous dimensions, which required a lot of work and which now occupies, right next to the Apple Reinstated Of Michelangelo Pistoletto, half square. It will be visible and open to the public (meaning you can walk inside) from April 10th to May 1stand will certainly take plenty of photos during the Design Week at the gates.
The birth by JR, installed in Piazza Duca d’Aosta, seen from the exact observation point to capture the optical effect desired by the French artist
What is that The birth?
First of all, this is not one of the many installations that JR, a French artist who became famous for his trompe-l’oeil, has done around the world. Just to stay in Italy – a country that he loves and where he is also followed by Galleria Continua-JR he has already “torn”, with his process that plays on drawing and optical illusion, Strozzi Palace in Florence e Farnese Palace in Rome, while in Milan he had already covered the Museum of the 20th century in the difficult pandemic period. Technically – he told us in his fluent Italian, switching easily between three languages, French, English and, indeed, Italian – «It’s the first time I’ve done such a demanding job. The square is huge, the station is imposing and 15 meters high, in the center there was an elevator (the one that leads to the metro, ed) which made it complex to conceive the “visual trick”. So we changed the technique.”
And in fact this is the first anamorphosis (a type of single-point optical illusion) created by JR not only with just paper and glue, but whose drawn image is printed on a series of aluminum panels previously painted white, to bring out the black of the line. These slats, about thirty centimeters wide, form the various visual planes within which one can move freely, as in a a somewhat surreal landscape.
«I knew the Central Station well, I came to Milan many times and its architecture had struck me: I thought it was in fascist style but instead it is art deco, so I decided to work on its ancient history, on its past and I conceived a work which reminded us of when, after the opening of the Simplon tunnel, the foundation stone of this station was laid. I wanted to draw the mountain, bring back here, now, that tunnel, those rocks, that hole that opened to a new connection. As always in my works everyone can see what they want best. Where does the tunnel lead? And who knows…».
JR joking with photographers during the presentation in Milan of The birth
Look for the exact spot
To best grasp the perspective game, you need to stand in an exact point on the floor (indicated on the ground with a black and white sticker): only from there do all the lines match. «That is the perfect point, but then my invitation is to let your imagination run free and observe the work from many different points of view,” adds JR. Let’s also remember that The naturelike all JR’s works, is ephemeral: although it can resist the vagaries of time and this April thanks to the special printing technique tested on aluminium, it will be dismantled in three weeks: each of its components will be melted, recycled and ready to do some more work around the world.
