Timber (Third Platform)
Installation
Wooden structure, aromatised water, citrus fruits and dry fruits, glasses.
200x150x80 cm.
2024
The exhibition titled "Terraformation: Bridging Worlds" at StadtWERKSTATT, Berlin documents the processes and developments initiated during the Terraformation residency in a rural, marginal area of Sicily. The project in collaboration with Farm Cultural Park, aims to build a museum using earth and natural techniques, reflecting sustainable and community-driven values. The museum and the process of its construction serves as an example of collective cooperation between individuals and disciplines and stands at the intersection of two global discourses: ecology and the socio-economic marginalization of the Global South.
The exhibition consists of four distinct platforms, each outlined by white tape—a visual reference to Lars von Trier's film Dogville. These taped perimeters represent the actual concrete platforms at the rural site in Sicily, scaled down to 1:3, where the museum is planned to be constructed. Each platform hosts a different activity related to the museum's construction, while accompanying tables showcase key stories, photos, prototypes, and results of collaborations with local pedologists, botanists and permaculture practitioners.
The Third Platform focus on the roofing process, involving the collection and assembly of roofing materials such as tiles and beams. It will also serve as a storage area for materials needed in the final stages of construction.
In this exhibition, the perimeter hosts an installation titled "Timber" that includes elements such as a simplified timber frame in the traditional "T" shape, a design used for centuries in Europe and Japan. The installation also features aromatized water, citrus fruits and dry fruits. Water becomes a gift, something to be consumed by visitors rather than a threat to the structure, symbolizing the pressing issue of water scarcity in southern Italy and Sicily.
In Sicily drinking water is typically extracted from aquifers and stored in large tanks built after World War II. For three decades, the region has lacked adequate management, with no new projects and insufficient maintenance. Structural damage, cracks, and leaks in the infrastructure have led to water loss and a failure to effectively retain rainfall. Water is a critical issue, especially in Sicily, where the land is becoming increasingly arid.