An Agorà project on the works of Domenico Fontana
Institutional Communication Service
8 March 2021
To give value to the Ticino region and its history is one of the objectives of the Agora project "The 'inventions of many works': Domenico Fontana (1543-1607) and his building works". The project has been presented by L. Tedeschi and N. Navone of the Archivio del Moderno to the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in collaboration with the Pinacoteca Cantonale Giovanni Züst of Rancate and the Atelier Blumer of the Academy of Architecture. It intends to communicate to the general public the results of the SNSF research "The works of Fontana between the 16th and 17th Century: modi operandi, techniques and role of the workers", started at the Archivio del Moderno, through the creation of a participatory archiving platform dedicated to the emigration of Ticino's building workers and construction, and envisages an exhibition that combines a traditional showcase of works of the XVI century and interactive digital media.
The exhibition will open in autumn 2022 at Pinacoteca Cantonale Giovanni Züst in Rancate. Through a participatory digital archiving platform, it will be possible to learn about the exhibition contents and, thanks to the users' proposals and crowdsourcing practices, to start a dialogue enriched by testimonies and documents, creating a bottom-up narrative. A narrative that will create a Digital Public History, thanks to the public, local communities, and professionals' involvement.
The exhibition will be made up of original works of the sixteenth century and virtual installations that will bring to life Fontana's sites, witnessing the technological evolution in progress and allowing the virtual visit of historical buildings usually inaccessible.
The exhibition will be a multisensory, personalised and on-demand experience to further the region's knowledge (the Canton of Ticino). A journey into the historical event which, through the encounter between art and technology, good management practices and open and proactive dialogue between different cultures, has contributed to European history, underlining the role played by this architect and his workers in the construction of famous monuments in Rome, Naples, Amalfi and Salerno.
More information about the project and the exhibition at this link