Epifània - Incorporare l’imprevisto

As part of Christmas Design. Creativity for Christmas 2023, the multi-venue exhibition dedicated to creativity and original installations – organised by the Bergamo Urban Trade District, promoted by local organisations, and conceived and coordinated by Studio GPT – Alias is delighted to present “Epifània - Incorporare l’imprevisto.” (Epiphany - Incorporating the Unforeseen.), the installation by Architect Edoardo Milesi & Archos, in collaboration with Studio Azzurro.

Innovation, a commitment to the environment and the relationship between design and architecture is what unites Alias’ vision with that of the Bergamo-based studio, which was identified as the ideal partner to take on this project. Epifània consists of an ephemeral cloud composed of petals with a translucent, concave and convex surface, made from production waste materials and arranged around a core that seems to come alive as the day goes by. Suspended near the top of the vaulted ceiling of the Porta Sant’Alessandro, it hovers in the air, emitting voices, sounds, lights,

colours and images gathered in its wanderings in a now unpredictable world. The poetry of a starry sky, of a green meadow, the unknown life of the abyss, the solidity of the earth, the stillness of a breath of wind or a light summer rain are suddenly shaken by unforeseen scenarios. The result is a three-dimensional object that creates a hazy atmosphere.
A sky to admire with your nose turned up. Epifània is an eloquent, yet unconscious cloud. It stops under the Porta di Sant’Alessandro: a threshold, a way out, and at the same time a possible unforeseen and unpredictable way of survival. At the first light of dawn, the cloud manifests itself through its formal and sculptural presence. Small movements affect the petals that float in the air emitting original, sometimes surprising voices and sounds, and when the light of the winter days fades, Epifània speaks of the four elements: AIR, FIRE, EARTH, WATER. Immutable and dramatic. Giorgio Milesi’s nonsensical “Fiabe al Plurale” (Plural Fairy Tales) are spread all around, reaching visitors etched on fragments of the cloud.

The text describing it is on the front and the screen-printed fairy tales on the back, only visible in special environmental situations. Unique, rare handcrafted pieces of fabric to take away and keep as small works of art. 

“The work wants to discuss the Anthropocene, how it influences natural cycles, making them unforeseen and unpredictable. Distancing nature from man leads him to consider natural manifestations as something distant, incomprehensible and unforeseen. We’re no longer so interested in the extent to which humans are responsible for the Earth's climate change. We’re interested in how much our behaviour and lifestyles can affect the relationship between Earth and man, between us and other living beings.” Arch. Edoardo Milesi
“Epifània. Incorporare l’imprevisto” is an example of tactical urbanism, understood as a different use of public and private space. An eloquent cloud caught between the four 16th-century columns of the Porta Sant’Alessandro in Bergamo.

A place within a place. Epifània aims to be an intervention in public space, shared, innovative and temporary, a way to reconnect residents with the city. 

Epifània - Incorporare l’imprevisto.Designed by Edoardo Milesi & Archos – in collaboration with Studio Azzurro

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From 25 November 2023 to 7 January 2024 - Porta Sant’Alessandro, Bergamo 

Technical partner

BNM Impianti / Egidio Rota e figli opere in ferro / Impresa edile Antonio Brignoli / Achille Marinoni 2.0 installazioni