andrea papi's plastic colosseum shaped by stacked chairs brings theater back to the people

the historic colosseum in the age of plastic

Reviving the historic typology of the amphitheater in the age of plastic, Andrea Papi’s Colosseo stacks hundreds of used chairs in concentric configurations to evoke the days of ancient Greek and Roman entertainment. In Urbino, Italy, the artist brings traditional theater back to the people with a minimalist design shaped from the mundane — cheap, used plastic chairs typically found in people’s back gardens — challenging the historic idea of theater being a cultural pastime for only the bourgeoisie. Emulating the layout of a grand colosseum, the two installations recreate the tiered format by stacking the seats on top of one another, with the row closest to the arena composed of single chairs, and the highest tier comprising a stack of dozens.

all images courtesy of Andrea Papi

andrea papi stacks used plastic chairs

Andrea Papi urges his audience to reflect on notions of spectatorship, class, and materiality with Colosseo. Ancient amphitheaters were built, at great expense, mainly of stone to offer free performances to the people. Though as civilizations evolved, theater became a cultural pastime reserved only for the part of the population that was more affluent. Returning the theater to its original audience — the ordinary people — the artist has shaped his colosseums from only typical white plastic outdoor seating used for casual get-togethers and garden furniture. Using only cheap resources, the colossal Greek and Roman structures have been recreated by replicating the same methods of design.

Further, the artist questions: ‘What is the fundamental element of a theater?’ With the spectator being key in his view, this is symbolized in the installations by the chairs themselves. ‘The further one moves away from the arena, the more the tiers are formed by chairs sitting on other chairs. The simplicity of this idea makes the work complex and entertaining,’ notes Andrea Papi.

rethinking the historic typology of the colosseum in the age of plastic

with each row, the height increases with a higher stack of chairs

Andrea Papi repurposes typical garden furniture

here, the spectator is symbolized by the chairs themselves

using cheap resources, Papi has recreated a colossal Greek and a Roman amphitheater crafted typically from stone

project info:

name: Colosseo
designer: Andrea Papi

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom