Paper/Cosmic Breeze by Gianni Pettena

On Thursday 11th June, from 6.30 pm at Motel (Building B3), Manifattura Tabacchi presents Paper/Cosmic Breeze, an installation by architect and artist Gianni Pettena, curated by Davide Giannella. Originally created in 1971 at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the work was exhibited for the first time in Italy in Milan at BiM, the urban regeneration project promoted — like Manifattura Tabacchi — by Manifattura Placemakers.

With this work, Gianni Pettena — Florentine by adoption — created an ephemeral and ever-changing architecture made of long strips of paper suspended from the ceiling, completely filling the space and inviting visitors to carve out their own path using scissors. Central to the work is the active role of the audience, who do not simply observe but become an integral part of the process. The participants’ intervention contributes to shaping both the configuration of the space and the very meaning of the experience itself, transforming the installation into a collective event.

The exhibition is curated by Davide Giannella, known for his research into the relationships between the art system and the various fields of contemporary culture. The lighting intervention is by Specific, a collective founded within BiM by artists Patrick Tuttofuoco and Andrea Sala, director and author Nic Bello, and food designer Alessandra Pallotta. The collective was later joined by artists Marco Bruzzone, Gabriele Bianchi and Martina Ferrari, together with project manager Maria Elena Morganti.

Paper/Cosmic Breeze therefore inaugurates MOTEL‘s exhibition programme, renewing Manifattura Tabacchi’s cultural offering with a rich calendar of exhibitions, happenings and events.