Rotte Metropolitane event in Florence, Italy

The seventh edition of ROTTE METROPOLITANE (METROPOLITAN ROUTES), a project conceived by Daniele Ciullini and promoted by the Cultural Department of the City of Florence, will present its results through a series of initiatives and events that will begin with a conferencedebate, which is to take place at 6 pm on Thursday March 12th, 2009 at the SESV gallery of the University of Florence, located at the Architecture Department in piazza Ghiberti 27. This year’s programming and events were organised by Image (www.imageweb.org).
The Florence is submerged theme, proposed by the curator Marco Brizzi, opens up observations on an urban environment that is often considered inhospitable towards the «creative organisms» that inhabit the greater metropolitan area of Florence. «Florence is submerged writes Marco Brizzi in the introduction to the catalogue, just as it was experienced by the architects at Superstudio after the tragic flooding of 1966. This event generated one of the most effective visions that radical architecture has to date offered the city, making Florence an important cradle of one of the last great avantgarde
movements. Presently, the city often seems incapable of freeing itself from an oppressive barrier that tends to obstruct every creative intent from the start, thus limiting every act of vital expression. Still and all, things are happening in this city…» Starting from this point, a group of observers (Giacomo Bazzani, Elisa Biagini, Nicola Santini e Pierpaolo Taddei, Carlo Scoccianti, Gianni Sinni) coordinated by Marco Brizzi, began to investigate the artistic reality of Florence in search of its creative elements and the projectoriented talents existing in and around the city.
Two months of work were needed to stir things up and to observe what was happening in the more visible parts of the city, as well as to explore the more hidden ones. What emerged was a multifaceted and heterogeneous panorama made up of many isolated figures, each organised autonomously, resisting the hostility of the environment where they work. A much ampler panorama than expected was discovered. The original project of ROTTE METROPOLITANE planned to search out 25 specific cases, but at the end of the  investigation and laboratory studies this Florence is submerged now counts 40 artists / groups / projects in its ultimate repertoire: this is due to the unexpected and almost uncontrollable proliferation of creative organisms that developed while the program took place as they were witnessed by its very organisers. The observed figures demostrated «a strongly animated microcosm that bubbled with energy». And although they live in the city, some of these individuals are unfortunately often compelled to leave it in search of new sustenance and to share their talents elsewhere.
Following the presentation on March 12th, a series of events and initiatives, promoted by the observers that contributed to the project, are to directly involve the city of Florence. For the entire month of March, in piazza Annigoni, there will be an exposition of the graphic works conceived by the artists selected by Gianni Sinni. On March 14th, from 3.30 until 6 pm at the Stibbert Park, a series of performances and installations will take place, and be presented by the artists that were invited by Elisa Biagini. From the 20th to the 21st of March, at Maison Biò (via Aretina 281); and then at 7 pm on the 28th of March, the micro / frigo + event (via della Chiesa 21r) will give way to a series of initiatives launched and directed by Nicola Santini and Pierpaolo Taddei from Avatar Architettura. From March 27th to Aprhil 9 th there will be an exhibit, curated by Giacomo Bazzani, held at Villa Romana These events present an extraordinary map of Florence is submerged, realised by Lcd which is responsible for the graphic design of the entire initiativeaccompanying the results of an indepth investigation conducted in this year’s edition by ROTTE METROPOLITANE (METROPOLITAN ROUTES), to be documented and illustrated in a catalogue published by Artout Maschietto Editors.

Presentation:
SESV gallery
Architecture Department, University of
Florence
piazza Ghiberti 27, Florence, Italy
March 12th, 2009 at 6 pm