Theseus in the 80's
The proposal imagines the temporary installation of an object able to create interaction and dialogue with the complex spaces of the Giudecca Social Housing.
The proposal imagines the temporary installation of an object able to create interaction and dialogue with the complex spaces of the Giudecca Social Housing. This artifact serves a didactical function, acting as an opportunity to explore, discover and better comprehend this intricate, late twentieth century architectural masterpiece. Simultaneously, the proposal is intended to recall and evoke the specific historical moment that represents the event's theme: the 1980's, birth period of both this housing project and the invited group of authors.
These premises materialize in a line, a wire, a cable that will guide visitors through the maze-like areas of Gino Valle's complex, revoking Ariane's mythical thread which helped the hero Theseus inside Minos' labyrinth. To capture guest's attention and curiosity, and in order to emphasize contrast between the sobriety of the buildings and the extraneous item, this “string” will be a glowing, luminescent object that echoes an 80's glam, flashy feel. This playful and unusual device is created through an auto-luminescent led stripe, an accessory widely known in popular culture, as they are frequently used for entertainment at parties or raves.
The path indicated by this symbolic element starts by entering the complex from the northern side, making its way trough one of the narrow slits that characterize the image of this architecture. It further guides visitors to the wide inner common space, to later reach the elevated pathway that leads to the dwellings.
Inside the designated apartment the thread will climb up the stairways an then drop down towards the ground through one of the staircase's windows. This object reinterprets the spaces it courses through and establishes new relations between the observer, architecture and time. To finish this route with a powerful reference to the fabulous 80’s we decided to place a glittery strobo ball at the end of the thread.
