projects | Viabizzuno progettiamo la luce

louis kahn has said that on the threshold where light and silence meet stands the sanctuary of art, the only language of man. this is the treasure of shadows. valentina moncada contemporary art gallery overlooks a historic courtyard in via margutta. the only ‘atelier' remaining as witness to the intense cultural and artistic activity which took place here from 1854 to 1960, seeing the participation of personages such as picasso, verdi, wagner, and the futurists. the intervention for restoration and design of the interior centres on the quality of the light and on a search for new spaces to allow the greatest exhibition dynamism. a project of strong light with precise and invisible architectural interventions and new elements in iron and glass. the original structure of the gallery has been brought to light, in accordance with the spatial, lighting, and acoustic requisites. the light in the full-height space is diffused; a number of devices are fixed to a central support, giving different light sources and beams which can be directed on to the works exhibited. the grey staircase rises, in a single piece of 3mm sheet metal, between two walls plastered in white. soft lighting makes it stand out, ethereal, from the wall on the left side. this wall has a structure designed to allow the future attachment of a moveable wall which can turn on one single pivot, creating further exhibition space, or a different interplay of volume and organisation. behind flimsy white veils which are lowered a few centimetres are found the fluorescent lights giving diffused light both in the second exhibition room and in this area. then one arrives at the small private courtyard, to the archives which can be visited, and to a service space. the upper floor, behind a pre-existing arch, frames a working area and private workshop, with a table designed for maximum functionality. an immaculate space, all white, which takes on the mark of those who speak and those who listen. it neither speaks nor conceals. it surrounds with light the expected message, preserving the ancient significance of art, which falls like powder on those who enter here. a metaphorical space, where the world of art intermingles with the intimate inner sphere, where - as louis kahn has said - man, walking through experience, learns from man; and knowledge falls like a shower of golden powder: touching it gives the power of foreseeing. intuition must be nourished, and everything begins with poetry. (louis kahn)