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Travel Without Program Álvaro Siza Exhibition in Sienna

Álvaro Siza Exhibition in Sienna, Italy – curators Raul Betti and Greta Ruffino

12 Jun 2019

Álvaro Siza. Viagem sem Programa

Curators: Raul Betti and Greta Ruffino

Location: Santa Maria della Scala – Piazza Duomo, Siena, Italy

Portraits and travel drawings by Álvaro Siza on display in Siena

The travelling exhibition “Viagem Sem Programa” at Santa Maria della Scala

Dates: from 6 June to 8 September 2019

The travelling exhibition “Álvaro Siza. Viagem sem Programa” opened in Siena on June 6th at 6.00 pm. It’s curated by Greta Ruffino and Raul Betti and organized by the Municipality of Siena and ProViaggiArchitettura. The exhibition was a side event of the 13th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

Previously shown in the cities of Lisbon (2018), Reggio Emilia (2017) Dubrovnik and Zagreb (2013), it is now on display at Santa Maria della Scala until 8 September.

The exhibition includes portraits and travel drawings – created over a period of more than 60 years by architect Alvaro Siza who personally chose them – a video-documentary and unpublished contents presented on this particular occasion.

The project originated from the many meetings that the two curators had with Álvaro Siza at his studio in Porto. In addition to highlighting his extraordinary eidetic memory, it narrates his activity as an architect and chiefly the personal side of his life. Beginning with drawings made by Siza during his youth, then the frequent trips to Italy and abroad, the most recent dinners with friends, and relaxing moments free from the burden of work.

The narrative is broadened with memories, meetings, ironic notes and views pertaining to that extraordinary “journey without a plan”, which is life itself. Hence the creation of a unique, unpublished project, firstly through the digital restoration of the drawings that retrieve the traits and marks of each sketch and then return it to paper – via typo ink print technique with one-ff plate (prints personally authenticated by Siza – 53 works, 1/1 copy) – in order to reveal his technical growth and sensitivity in perceiving reality.

In Siena – a city studied and depicted in his notebooks – Álvaro Siza’s drawings interact with the evocative atmosphere of the Magazzini della Corticella inside Santa Maria della Scala thanks to the installation set up by Dumbo Design Studio in cooperation with Graniti Fiandre (formerly ADI Design Index Selection 2018 in the Exhibition Design category for the show at FAB – Fiandre Architectural Bureau in 2017) which includes varied areas and accompanies visitors on a tour that reveals the most intimate and personal aspect of human nature incorporated with design culture.

Large lecterns – with ceramic-based surfaces and structures designed purposely for this exhibition – present the works of the Portuguese architect and create a highly intimate and welcoming atmosphere. The exhibition also includes two video installations: the interview carried out by the curators in Siza’s studio with a background of particularly significant areas of Porto and Lisbon (presented at the Milan Design Film Festival in 2017) and Atelier XYZ’s video-installation that virtually leads the viewer to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean with a view point from the Boa Nova Casa da Cha restaurant (designed by Siza 1958/1963), amid the rock formations of Leça de Palmeira.

The exhibition dedicated to Álvaro Siza’s drawings also proposes – as already presented in other showings – a wide selection of photographs (here in small analog video frames) chosen from the hundreds of shots taken over the years by the two curators and friends and enthusiasts that narrate the origin of the project to the present and the countless contacts generated, which often go far beyond professional activities.

The exhibition “Álvaro Siza. Viagem sem Programa” was created thanks to the support and participation of Graniti Fiandre, ProViaggiArchitettura, Municipality of Siena, Dumbo Design Studio, GruppoFallani, UnipolSai, Arkell Group, Lodico Santo – Costruzioni, Medicina Mentis. Media Partner, Casabella.

Travel Without Program Álvaro Siza Exhibition, Sienna – Building Information

Exhibition Title: “Álvaro Siza. Viagem sem Programa ”
Curators: Raul Betti and Greta Ruffino
Date: 6 June to 8 September 2019
Free entry for architects
Location: Santa Maria della Scala – Piazza Duomo, Siena, Italy