PUBLIC NATURE WORKSHOP
working on PARCO BEGNI
public nature workshop floating mountains A workshop by Stellepolari Curated by Paesaggi migranti
23th-30th MAY 2017 in PENNABILLI RIMINI, ITALY
index -
CHAPTER 1 A site specific project The starting point The supporters The context The residency Towards a project
CHAPTER 2 The workshop
Exercises Analysis outcomes
CHAPTER 3 The project
The map A path of ephemeral interventions The guided tour
Conclusions Credits
chapter 1 a site specific project
the starting point
Paesaggi migranti is a group of architects, designers, graphic designers, performers, historians and pedagogy teachers that made Pennabilli their focus of research and operational center. They create new networks and activate cultural projects in the Marecchia valley - supporting the economical one. Since 2015 the Paesaggi migranti team organized events around the concept of 'floating montains', and experimenting around the theme of landscape. This refers to the geomorphology of the whole valley, it stimulates imagination and story telling and it makes clear the transformative and "migrant" nature of the world. The project was structured in to two parts: a 7 day collective residence between 6 invited artists and an international workshop to be held in the springtime. The main sponsorship of the Floating mountains project comes from Artisti in Piazza, a street art festival, and from the Pro Loco of Pennabilli (a local volunteer, grass-roots organizations that seek to promote the town and its immediate area). Paesaggi migranti, Artisti in piazza and the Pro Loco Pennabilli collaboration with artists uses research and art languages to activate participatory processes. The qualities of the landscape are used to develop an overall cultural project, overcoming the main touristic vision that is currently defining the area.
Once upon a time, a constellation of rocks generated from a whole calcareous block started to navigate over the clay beds moving from the west and eventually fragment into numerous pieces, thus generating the distinctive soil of not only of Pennabilli, but of the entire Valmarecchia area. Two of these emerging rocks are the “roccione” (rock) in Penna and the “rupe” (cliff) in Billi, as well as many other rocks that became strategic points for all the villages born from the so called encastellation during the Middle Ages. This phenomenon gave origin to many urban centres that favoured the construction of a dense network of transport routes and that made this territory an important area for medieval and renaissance in Italy. Among these fragments there are the Sasso Simone and Simoncello, sacred mountains since the time of the Etruscan; the Titano Mount where San Marino Republic rose; San Leo the ancient Mons Feretrious from which originated the Montefeltro name; Verucchio, the cradle for Villanovian culture and, on the west side, La Verna, the Saint Francis of Assisi mountain and the Fumaiolo mountain where is located the Tevere river spring. But also the countless smaller rocks, the ‘genghe’ that were traditionally arranged along the borders of fields and pieces of cultivated land that now gave origin to the characteristic geometry of hedges. It can be said that a single geological fact, spatially and temporally far, profoundly directed the history of this territory, highlighting the strong relationship between man and environment that is at the base of the same idea of landscape. These navigating mountains, as Paolo Rumiz defined them in his travel along the “minor Italy” evoke histories of travels and travellers, dreamlike scenarios capable of liberating the fantasy of who wants to remodel places with, as Shakespeare would have said, the same “stuff ” that men and dreams are made of. From here comes the title of our project. From the fascinating image of a dynamic territory that found its origin in the movement and continues to mutate, to shift as a ship searching for its direction. But which is this direction? What is its dream? Asking for directions means, first of all, to imagine, to search for reference points, to question. And this is the starting point to talk about landscape, to understand the way we live in places and how to respond to their criticalities, how to build truly resilient communities. text by Paesaggi migranti © Ena Jurov
the supporters
Artisti in piazza - Pennabilli buskers festival for 20 years has been bringing musicians and eccentric jugglers as well as actors, inventors, story tellers, painters, sculptors and acrobats to performing in the streets and squares of the town. During the festival, all of the streets of the Pennabilli medieval center become the stage for both Italian and international artists. The atmosphere is magic. Till the early hours, sounds, lights, words and colors animate the town and enchant the audience. The number of people taking part in the 4 day event is overwhelming, with around 40000 visitors every year and 400 shows being organized around the town. Starting from an idea by Enrico Partisani, the festival involves the absolute majority of the city inhabitants, that take part in the creation, the organization and the services that allow the festival to be such a successful event. The performers and artists invasion that engage the town and its inhabitants has a strong influence on the citizens understanding of creativity and their connection with the outer world.
Š Artisti in Piazza
With more then 60 companies and 400 artists coming from all around the world Artisti in Piazza has become a unique appointment for most of the valley's inhabitants.
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Pennabilli is a medieval town in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. The town extends for 69,6km2 and is integrated in the surrounding rural territory.
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The context
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The floating mountains of the Marecchia valley sedimented around 15 millions years ago. The sedimentary rocks are made of limestone and they slowly move like a land slide on the clay strata underneath.
Š Silvia Mangosio
the RESIDENCY
1st step: 8-12 March artists in Pennabilli In March, five artists were invited to take part in a residency, to develop a workshop-project around the specific context of the town of Pennabilli. Mikael Hansen decided to realize an unique piece of land art, Alessandro Mulazzani wished to explore the Marecchia river looking for the rest of its built history transformed by nature in nature. Nele Hartmann wanted to improve and share her natural printing knowledge, comparing it with the traditional one existing in the valley. Atilio Doreste introduced his work through the practice of walking and listening – sound paths, ideas of destruction and constant change, and the need for creation. We, Stellepolari decided to focus on Parco Begni, a deserted 'common' green area in the southern part of the town, temporary used during the festival period as a camping area. The project developed from the resulting workshop is subsequently presented in this booklet.
towards a project Why is Parco Begni a neglected place, an undefined area of which Pennabilli inhabitants almost don´t know about? During our time in the residency we met the protagonists of the past and of the current story of the park. We spoke with the paesaggi migranti team and with the inhabitants of Pennabilli about the actual and potential uses of the area. Something unexpected became slowly more and more clear: Pennabilli doesn't need a park in its traditional meaning! The heavy heritage of Tonino Guerra left many artistic installations around the area, making it redundant to have another area for the arts. At the same time the massive presence of the fascinating Appennini surrounding landscape already offered a strong connection to the possibilities of interaction with nature. How can a public park became a strength for Pennabilli, how can it be able to offer space for the different activities and personalities that are in the town or come to visit it? We developed a workshop methodology that allowed us, together with the participants, to deeply understand the context and to elaborate on the best approach to redefine the identity of the park and realize it in the few days available.
6 CONCEPTS FOR A PUBLIC NATURE WORKSHOP
1. A site open for appropriation 2. Natural ephemerality 3. Interact with a site 4. Tell a story 5. The project as a process 6. Beside the day
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zoom on PARCO BEGNi during the FESTIVAL
Sky views: the park in relation with the main attractions of Pennabilli (in autumn) and the park used as a parking and camping place during the Artisti in piazza festival (in summer).
© Monica Gori
chapter 2 the workshop
EXERCISES
An excursion to the natural Park of Sasso Simone, harvesting with the farmers of the area and showing us traditional techniques, attending dinner at the private house of some of the inhabitants of Pennabilli and meeting Mr. Guerrino (a philosopher farmer) gave us different kinds of insight on the territory and its values and problematics. Starting from the broader physical and cultural context we arrived to the park, and through interventions and exercises we developed a connection and a deep understanding of the space.
AROUND parco begni
Understanding the park in its various qualities
Landscape framed towards west
Tunnel entrance
The woods
DAY 1: walking
Pennabilli counts around 3,000 inhabitants. Despite its small size, the town has had various important people. Traces of their lives can be found all over and has become an integral part of the town's unique structure.
DAY 2: mapping
Mapping the daisy field
© PM
mapping opinions: animated GIF
DAY 3: IN Situ INTERVENTIONS
© PM
1_ JOURNEY TO THE JUNGLE When we entered the "woody" part of the Park things started to become very dense. We were able to still spot some interesting things, like the remains of the forgotten arboretum, two beautiful apple trees, wild flowers blossoming, etc. We marked them with some labels and traced a path with a rope guiding us through the forest.
2_ SPOT THE DIFFERENCE Walking around the park we found a hidden secondary road in the southern border with a series of natural windows: plants naturally framing the surrounding landscape. To enhance the quiet and contemplative atmosphere of the road we created a portable device to help you see the proportions and details of the far off landscape.
3_ THE CRIME SCENE Find the clues! Using the classical red and white stripe as an indication of points of high interest and with labels telling short stories by drawings and short texts or making questions to the reader we created a game that encourages your curiosity of wandering through the park.
4_ CHERRY POINT We tried to work with the overall sloping ground of the park. Using a self-standing cherry tree we created an horizontal surface made of a rope-net. Its shape followed the shadow of the tree and the sticks supporting the net were positioned with a 3 meter step to allow a better understanding of the real dimensions of the park.
analysis outcomes We spent time in this ambiguous space, composed of different terrains and contrasting atmospheres. As a reaction of being lost because of the lack of existing references, we came back to our senses, being tactile, looking up, sitting on the ground. We spontaneously enacted some activities: picking a flower, creating a connection between different points, hanging a hammock. With this slow approach we discovered many pleasant situations that the park offers: a spectacular willow, some eatable plants, views, slopes, open areas, existing relations. The situations of quietness, playfulness and wildness, typical of many parks, didn't need to be created, but were already present. We met almost no one in the park, except for the few people working in the restaurant and in the sport center. People that use those services crossed the area reluctantly, while visitors of special events (like the Artisti in piazza festival) inhabit it so densely that the park itself disappears under the sudden invasion of users. Residents of Pennabilli hardly recall the park. The town hall, the school and a cinema stand along the exact border of the park, but they all address the opposite direction and in some cases have fences to separate themselves from the park. Many activities could happen in the park, but the inhabitants don´t feel attracted or don´t have the initiative to go there. Nevertheless they are very open about discussing the potential for it and recognize it as a fantastic occasion for their town.
Parco Begni doesn't fulfill the expectations of a park. The big space is connected with a private area and the borders are not visible. The maintenance happens only in occasion of the big events. The main access next to the road is dangerous and unappealing, while the others are hidden, very informal and not indicated. The road in the southern part is not used and unmaintained, but it is very quiet and offers beautiful views. Public furnitures are almost non existent. In the particular context of Pennabilli a public park as a place for enjoying nature is not needed, the town is already surrounded by the beautiful romagnola countryside and people have private gardens in front of their houses.
VISIONS The park is wide and very dissimilar in its different parts. It can be the space for collective experiences and open air activities. Keeping adding fixed focus elements (as in a previous sculptural park proposal), is in our opinion a dangerous approach: placing a 'centrality' in the space can condemn the remaining environment. The place has already is own quality, with no need of particular addictions. We need a device that allow existing qualities to emerge and to be easily recognized and communicated: to tell the city that there is a park, and to tell the users what is in the park to be seen and to be done.
© PM
chapter 3 the project
THE MAP
A path of ephemeral interventions
Š PM
Defining areas
MANTAINENCE , CARE AND USABILITY
With different interventions we marked the existing accesses and created new ones that allow new paths to be crossed.
A REFRESHED IDENTITY FOR PARCO BEGNI
© PM
The northern part of the park is covered by a wild, almost inaccessible wood. A project for the park had been partly realized in the seventies. This included an arboretum, that was planted on this side. Due to the lack of maintenance some of the trees died, while others spread spontaneously. We cleared out a path to walk through and to discover this area, indicating the historical trees and marking the route with white painted posts, traditionally used as signals in mountain routes and easily recognizable.
a new way through THE wood
interacting with the space
TREES telling stories
the guided tour
conclusions The way we understood Parco Begni allowed us to plan an overall project, that involved the whole area and the significance it has for the town and the countryside nearby. As illustrated in the 3rd chapter of this booklet, we realized a series of ephemeral interventions, trying to address the various problems of the park and offering an answer to them.
1. lost identity We gave names to the special characters that the park assumes in its different parts. We tried to communicate them to a lost visitor: discovery, encounters, art, play, and calmness are all already possible in the park and just need to be recognized. Using branding as a method for increasing visibility we created a unique logo for the park. 2. accessibility The borders of the park aren't very visible, and visitors often don´t know they are entering the park area. We painted a very big logo on the main entrance road and used different elements to demarcate the other entrances. The common use of the white colour helped us to have a common language through out the park and to underline specific things. 3. multifunctionality We didn´t recognize a specific spatial need in the area. Therefore, Parco Begni should insist on its flexibility, as is already the case. A quiet empty terrain that becomes a camping ground filled with people and cars during the festival could become much more in other occasions. The spaces and furniture should also be as adaptable and movable as possible, as we planned by sketching and building prototypes. 4. legibility The map and the final guided tour had been a way to translate and share our knowledge: the presence of a space full of stories, qualities and possibilities. We hopefully stirred the public interest in realizing more long-lasting interventions and better site mantainance.
Š PM
Performing Parco Begni
"The Parco Begni is situated in Pennabilli, between the city and the farmlands. The park itself has been used for many years as an agricultural field, owned by the Begni family. The last descendant of the Begni family decided to give the terrain to the Pro Loco association for free, under the condition that they would dedicate the space to serve the whole community. In this way the park became a park. A project was planned for the park in the 70’s, which had only been partially realized. Traces of this plan can be seen in the two curved terraces and in some significant trees, that had been planted to form an arboretum. Currently the park offers a dynamic experience, where many things take place: big events such as the Artisti in piazza festival and natural happenings like the blossoming of the daisies in Spring. We recognized some main areas within the park that we marked on this map: a forest for the discovery, a grass field to play, a street for calmness, one corner for the arts and another for encounters."
credits Participants: Farah Alkhoury Helen Brewer Martina Dahm Razvan Pop Assistant: Riccardo Maroso (@ Paesaggi migranti) Workshop conception by Stellepolari Landscape Architecture Greta Colombo and Lorenza Manfredi
Curatorial and Coordination: Paesaggi migranti
Thanks to: All the participants, Roberto / Irene / Veronica e il MUSSS Museo naturalistico pennabilli, the team of Paesaggi migranti and particularly Riccardo, Enrico and the Artisti in Piazza Festival, Proloco Pennabilli, all the families who invited us for dinner and all the people we got in touch with during our stay... Thank you for the support from the municipal officials of Pennabilli.
We explored the possibilities around this space and carried out an experiment, reflecting on a public space in the countryside. Some of the first hints? Revealing the invisible presence of many natural epiphanies: the blossoming, the seasonal changes, the visual relations between elements inside and outside the park. Thinking about the past, the existing and the yet to come. Thinking of humans as well as of small creatures, foreign seeds, rain and everything else a park can welcome. We confronted ourselves with the idea of migrant elements and traced new routes, set up new perspectives, imagined the impossible and tried to realize the possible, in way to create a brand new relationship between Parco Begni and the world. A workshop by: Stellepolari - Greta Colombo and Lorenza Manfredi Assistant: Riccardo Maroso (paesaggi migranti) Curated and coordinated by: Paesaggi migranti Artisti in Piazza Festival
Booklet conception & graphic design by Stellepolari. Text editing by Helen Brewer.
Among the colorful erosive hills of Val Marecchia stands Pennabilli, a little village between two rocky outcrops: here, you can find a square, a convent, a garden of forgotten fruits, a mill, many fields and a public park, but nobody uses it. During the year the park is filled from time to time by: a wave of wild daffodils, the tents of people attending a performative art festival, and thousands of fireflies. On one side, an open sloping grassland is a reminder of the former agricultural setting and the characters of this 'migrant landscape', on the other side, an ornamental wood left deserted for thirty years is now silently reclaimed by oaks and woodpeckers. How do we stay in this space? How do we invite the inhabitants and passersby of Pennabilli to cross the open borders of the park, and what might they expect to find there? What could be the best way to address this piece of landscape and re-connect it to the village....and to the surrounding valley?