This 27-metre-long "ship" (or spaceship), lit from the inside and standing in the centre of a room shrouded in darkness, will contain approximately 15 designs until 5 September. The structure is modular and democratic (each practice is allocated exactly the same space) and was entirely handmade by skilled and expert Italian craftsmen, as Nicola is anxious to stress (he too is Italian and formed the practice in Paris with his working and life partner Adelaïde), before being assembled in loco.
The choice of a modular structure also responds to the need for an exhibition support that could easily travel and the structure was designed in the tiniest graphic and technical detail. Each design is kept in a drawer that opens from above, lighting up and revealing a wooden descriptive panel. The practice names and portraits are carved into the wood. Visitors are invited to discover the designs and interact with the installation because to see the design they have to lift a lid, which then closes slowly by itself.
The premise behind the design is quite fascinating: "It could be an architectural project…", explains Nicola Marchi "a ship that goes to sea, without knowing which port it will moor at, what adventures it will go through and what will be its final destination". ES
Design: marchi_Architectes (Adelaide+Nicola Marchi)
Graphics: Michele Brusasca, Fabrice Panichi
Film: Julien Borel Joe Botbol
Music: Erwan Courtel
Photo: Gaston Bergeret, Francesca Avanzinelli