projects | Viabizzuno progettiamo la luce

on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the unification of italy the fondazione de sanctis organized an exhibition at the palazzo del quirinale dedicated to the original manuscripts of some of the greatest masterpieces of the italian literature, from boccaccio’s decamerone to manzoni’s promessi sposi. the quirinale exposition spaces were skilfully revisited through a mounting which was studied in detail by the architect simona pieri from the studio de sanctis pieri architetti associati, who also was the curator, along with francesco de sanctis, of the exhibition project. the evocative setting of the exhibition was created with a particolar attention to the research of materials suitable for the preservation of the very delicate manuscripts. self standing black wings created new spaces within the wide halls, overshadowing everything that was not functional to the contemplation of the manuscripts. every showcase dedicated to an author houses a single manuscript that is framed in a setting created in acid free passpartout, like a three-dimensional picture. the entire exhibition was held by the perimeter walls, through the juxtaposition of vertical showcases, uninterrupted, and allowed the visitor to get close for a careful examination of the documents without having to bend or lean forward. in the middle of the hall a free standing showcase houses the autograph manuscript of the italian literature history by francesco de sanctis. it connects like a fil rouge the exhibition itinerary that starts from the 1200 until the suggestive nineteenth-century autographs by leopardi and manzoni, contemporaneous of de sanctis. to illuminate such pieces of art, the fondazione de sanctis entrusted the project to mario nanni, so that his narrative and emotional light became a communication tool, giving life to the immortality too often forgotten of the ancient texts. not being able to exceed certain lux values and having to maintain the temperature inside the cases unaltered , mario nanni treated light as if it were our eyes looking at the written words: a precise stream, silent, alert, delicate. curious and non-invasive. as a result, on the lit cases there is the profile 13x8, wired with one 3000K led, with an adjustable support in order to regulate the light outside the volume that holds the manuscript. the led is dimmable so to change the light intensity. on the special case dedicated to the autograph manuscript by de sanctis one finds the topolino, a light fitting specially conceived to obtain the right light for the objects displayed in glass volumes and for this occasion issued in a dimmable, battery-operated version with 1W led. its rubbery matt black body was smooth and pleasant to touch (finish mynero Viabizzuno), inviting to be touched and used like a computer mouse on the glass surface. the new topolino allows to grab the light and place it over the words one wants to read, to make the visitor interact with the work, to make one reads it in the best way. the light goes beyond the object: it is content, meaning, text and image. it is an essential and graphic light, invisible. the little cuts of light respect the minimum lighting values required for the safeguard of the manuscripts; they never go beyond the 50lux, to respect and keep paper and inks unaltered. the light project for this exhibition at the quirinale doesn’t stop only at the illumination of the documents but gives birth also to real books of light: mario nanni’s light poems that declines on the paper…white, because written by the light and not by the ink. the two books of light insert themselves among the manuscripts like literary icons that with new technologies and using images and words tell the story of our scripts, our great masters, our history.