Adrian Tranquilli |
An elliptical stone tower stretches four stories
above a dry moat. Windowless except for the top floor, the fortress known
as Il Torrione was part of the medieval wall that enclosed the
town of Cagli. Fifteen hundred years later, tiny European Smart cars and
Opels zip and buzz around its rotary. A hulking landmark in the peaceful
town, the tower no longer serves to protect but rather to promote Cagli.
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Paolo Icaro |
To
cross the bridge, over the dry moat from the street, and to step into
the recesses of the ancient tower is to enter Italy's cutting-edge art
scene. Iron beams spiral from the ceiling over a circle of finely ground
metallic dust. Fire engine red fingertips are hovering, stretching toward
the walls, attached by a seemingly magnetic force.
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Ernesto Porcari |
The experience of entering the tower and plunging into the Contemporary Sculpture Centre takes one's breath away. So does the ancient cold air between the thick walls. The Torrione represents Cagli's past while simultaneously opening the eyes of visitors to Italy's most famous contemporary artists. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Giovanna Bolognini | The museum was established in 1989, when a well-known group of Italian sculptors made a proposal to the town, in particular to Assessorator Alla Cultura, Cagli's main office of cultural events. They wanted to install a permanent collection of sculpture designed specifically for the Torrione. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ilugi Manolfi |
The
town officials, with the Assessorato Alla Cultura, accepted the
proposal, eager to promote the under-appreciated world of contemporary
art. The exhibit would also attract visitors to Cagli. Unfortunately,
the townspeople initially opposed the plan.
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Carlo Lorenzetti |
Many
locals seem to have an innate respect for Classical, Renaissance, and
Baroque art, but perhaps were less familiar with, and therefore less accepting
of, contemporary art. It was the goal of these sculptors to introduce
a new, often overlooked, art form.
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Eliseo Mattiacci |
The
opening of the Contemporary Sculpture Centre coincided with the 700th
anniversary of Cagli's reconstruction. Thirteen years later, time has
erased the opposition against contemporary art. Now there's a growing
pride and open-mindedness toward the work of Italy's most renowned contemporary
sculptors.
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Ernesto Porcari |
In
a city where a travelling market still comes through town once a week,
pausa lasts from one in the afternoon until five o'clock every
day, and every morning the same people gather at Caffe
del Commercio for their morning cappuccino, the shocking discovery
of the contemporary Sculpture Centre nestled inside the Torrione links
Cagli's sturdy past to its forward thinking future.
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Adrian Tranquilli |
Text, Photographs, and Design Production by Marissa Norkus Design Production and Graphic Design by Kerri-Ann Jennings Return to Home Page |