tresoldi academy realizes wire mesh 'cerimonia' in the ruins of a former supermarket in bologna, italy

TRAC – tresoldi academy — the school created in collaboration between edoardo tresoldi’s interdisciplinary lab STUDIO STUDIO STUDIO, and YAC – young architects competitions — has realized its first site-specific installation. ‘cerimonia’ is located in an area that previously housed the former ‘mercatone uno’ supermarket in bologna, italy and comprises a 5.3-meter-tall wire mesh structure made from materials and soil found on the site. the area is characterized by signs of decomposition, piles of rubble, and spontaneous vegetation, which act as linguistic elements of the aesthetic chaos that animates the site. ‘cerimonia breathes life into a presence capable of expressing itself through its cyclical nature, interjecting itself into the process that already animates the space,’ tresoldi says. 

all images © roberto conte

‘cerimonia’ is designed to communicate with the area’s biological phenomena, with soil from the site collected and integrated into the work. over time, vegetation will cover the installation and redefine the installation’s shape and form. classical architectural elements fuse with the materials and elements of the original space, and the transformative processes of abandonment, giving rise to an unprecedented, new narrative. the process of transforming natural phenomena is at the heart of the work, and celebrates the dialogue between architecture, nature and the passage of time. ‘by coexisting with the state of neglect of the area for about a year, the project will therefore harmoniously blend this process with a celebration of architecture,’ tresoldi continues.

the project is promoted and supported by urban up | unipol, with the scientific collaboration of G124 — the group created at the behest of renzo piano to conduct research on the subject of peripheral areas — and the consultation of stefano mancuso, italian botanist and essayist, director of the international laboratory of plant neurobiology. ‘nature needs to take over the city, so I find cerimonia extremely fascinating and educational because it is a manifestation of how one might imagine architecture,’ mancuso says. ‘it is like imagining an ideal city in 2050 that no longer follows the renaissance model; rather, it is a city of human thought, with nature perfectly free to circulate within it. the real revolution is changing the idea of cities: if we were to cover our cities with greenery, with plants, we could solve the problem of global pollution immediately.’

‘cerimonia’ is the result of the joint work of edoardo tresoldi and 15 young students of TRAC – tresoldi academy selected in july 2020 from more than 500 applications received from all over the world. under tresoldi’s artistic direction, the team imagined and built the site-specific project for the former store area. the area, owned by gruppo unipol, in 2021 will be redeveloped after 10 years of abandon.

project info: 

name: cerimonia
project authors: TRAC – tresoldi academy
a collaboration between STUDIO STUDIO STUDIO and YAC – young architects competitions
type: temporary installation
location: via stalingrado n 31, bologna, former mercatone uno area
admission*: free 

*in compliance with anti-COVID restrictions recently approved in italy, until december 4 ‘cerimonia’ will be visible only from outside (everyday from 8:30 – 22:00). as soon as possible, admission will be restored through visits every saturday from 10:30 – 18:30.