The facade of La Scala Theater will change its face. But only until May 17. For a week, the building designed by Giuseppe Piermarini - and expanded a few years ago by Mario Botta - and the square that takes its name from the theater will be enlivened by light sculptures and video mapping curated by artist Marco Lodola.
The occasion is the 80th anniversary of the building's reopening after bombing: on May 11, 1946, Arturo Toscanini conducted the first postwar concert. A ticket in the stalls cost one hundred thousand liras-a huge sum for the time-but the event was well attended, thanks in part to the loudspeakers installed in Piazza Duomo, which allowed the Milanese to symbolically witness the return of the theater.
Nabucco invades the facade of La Scala
Lodola's site-specific work celebrates this moment through three sculptures inspired by characters from Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco, being staged at La Scala in recent weeks: the king Nebuchadnezzar, the priest Zechariah and Abigaille. The facade will also be enlivened by videomapping that will project an audience of spectators facing the square and the sculptures, paying homage to the now decades-long relationship between the theater and the city; a bond that on several occasions has redefined the boundaries of the institution, bringing it directly into the squares and streets Milanese.
For years Lodola has collaborated with brands, institutions and international events, from the Olympics to the Sanremo Festival, using his now-recognizable bright and colorful figures to temporarily transform urban spaces. Again, "Notes of Light" - this is the name of the project, curated by Angelo Bonello - uses luminous pop art as a tool to rewrite, at least for a few days, the face of one of Milan's most symbolic places.
An art project that becomes charity
The intervention also celebrates the partnership between the Teatro alla Scala Foundation and A2A's Banco dell'energia Foundation. In fact, some silkscreens produced by Lodola and inspired by the project will be offered for sale at Deodato Arte; the proceeds will support the Banco dell'energia Foundation's projects dedicated to families in need.