REGGIO EMILIA – Culture and art can offer a second life to urban places that are neglected and perceived as unsafe. It proves it transformation occurred under the via Turri overpass which today, Saturday 4 May, was the setting for Wrapping Day, a collective action to “wrap” and redesign the public space under the bridge, including the pylons. At the first light of the morning the “Sottoponte” team, urban regeneration project culturally based promoted by the cultural association Five minutes And Binary49, covered the area with huge sheets of white cardboard, which throughout the day became a palette for hundreds of people of all ages. Together they left their mark on paper with markers, spray cans and paints, to create a full-scale shared and participatory design of the possible future of this urban space. Among the new functions and new relationship values that have been imagined by those who live and frequent the neighborhood, in particular the younger generations, there are an area reserved for cinema and shows, another dedicated to sport and a refreshment corner where meet and be together.
The Wrapping Day is a new stage of the Sottoponte project – General rehearsals of transformation, the culturally based urban regeneration path to rethink the functions of the public space under the Via Turri overpass through social design, urban art and performing arts. First place in the Creative Living Lab public selection of the Directorate General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture, the project is promoted by Cinqueminuti Associazione Culturale and Binario49 in collaboration with the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, ACER Reggio Emilia and the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, in network with Superculture. The scientific direction is entrusted to architect Francesco Bombardi, the creative team is made up of Tommaso Monza (Natiscalzi DT), choreographer, Luca Macca (Compagnia del Buco), circus artist, and Andrea Mazzoni, photographer and videomaker.
Throughout the day, some “creative islands” were also activated, which hosted circus arts workshops, physical practices dedicated to the perception of oneself and one’s space, self-construction workshops, theater, dance and photography workshops. The participatory urban design activity ended at 6pm with The space between us, “a participatory performative action for an undervalued urban space that wants to contain humanity” curated by Natiscalzi DT. Grand finale in music with an urban jam session curated by Baba Beatbox. The bar service provided by Binario49 and the Micromarket with local artisans and producers were active throughout the day.
Lanfranco de Franco, councilor for Participation, was also satisfied: «Today is a beautiful day for the station district: Wrapping Day is a temporary regeneration project that is part of a broader path that involves the area of via Turri and via Paradisi. We do it first of all with the kids of the neighborhood and the people who live Binario49, who frequent the Spazio Raga and who participate in the Municipality’s educational projects. Together with them we want to design a new urban space, transforming what was previously a not particularly pleasant car park and which we instead intend to experience as a place for the community”.
The Sottoponte project was presented at the beginning of March to Binario49, in continuity with the participation process promoted by the municipal administration in view of the future redevelopment of the neighbourhood. In recent weeks the co-planning continued with meetings and workshops that involved people of all ages who live and frequent the neighborhood in urban explorations, observation exercises and creation of maps, but also physical practices to imagine new functions and new contents for the Sottoponte, which will contribute to the collective drawing and live painting action of the Wrapping Day.
«By combining social design, urban art and performing arts – explain the promoters – the project aims to rethink the functions of a place in transition like Sottoponte, characterized by functional marginality and low urban quality, which can become a public space for citizens, meeting point, stage, exhibition venue and much more, strengthening and expanding Binario49’s vocation as a community hub and cultural centre. An opportunity to strengthen cultural, educational and welfare practices and encourage cultural and artistic research productions, in particular thanks to the collaboration with the Supercultura network, which will contribute to the planning and programming of the Sottoponte summer programme. The process also includes important facilitation work which will involve the Municipality’s Participation Service, the Housing Company and the University”.
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