Lux Magnum Chaos: Light installations by Enzo Catellani
in collaboration with Domenico Egizi

Magnum Chaos is the title of a 1500 tarsia drawn by Lorenzo Lotto and realized by Giovan Francesco Capoferri in 1524, placed in the wooden “chorus” of Santa Maria MaggioreBasilica in Upper Bergamo, where all elements of “Creation” are symbolically synthetized in an iconographic unit.

Starting from formal rielaboration of the tarsia, a route of light sculptures realized synthetizing, through three different installations by Enzo Catellani in Santa Maria Maggiore and in the courtyards of the Chamber of Commerce and Palazzo Frizzoni, creatively developed the conceptual and artistic aspects of Lotto’s drawings.

There is also a close analogy beween the material nature of the tarsia technic and the works of Enzo Catellani who based a remarkable part of his research on the relationship between light and the effects of refraction of different metals, creating real light sculptures. The matter lightens and creates, as in the tarsia, effects, colours, shapes and drawings. The use of the candle, of the flame has a particularly symbolic meaning.

The project, realized in collaboration with Domenico Egizi, configures by means of light installations determined by a language merely aestethic, where not only shape modulates light, but this latter becomes material element of a scene composition that dialogues with the architectural mass that contains it.

Installations taking up the role of mediation between space and the physical and psychological dimension of the user operating a pleasant spacial and sensorial transformation of the places. Contexts that the visitor perceives not in statical but dynamical and pluri-visual position.

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the courtyards of Palazzo Frizzoni and of the Chamber of Commerce are the places chosen for this performance of light and ambient and will host “golden lights” in many declinations, in tune with the wonderful Baroque decorations of our Basilica, “candle lamps”, “light falls”, “Moons and Suns”.

The light installations set also as scenographic complement of the places housing them interpreting the archtectural space through creation of light and shadow effects of particular perceptual and emotional value.

The city lighting project

In urban life, there are big and small events that, coming back every year, guarantee an identity continuity sense to that life. And it is important, because, in the meantime, the city changes, transforms itself, or, even just to cherish itself, temporarily modifies the possibility to use its places.

This year “Notti di Luce”, which has always considered its acting in the urban space as primary and strategic, reaches its ninth year of activity: that lenght of time places it among the events that mark the year and the city centre. Light is, once again, the interpretation key offered to the citizens. It wants to avoid the effects of “dimming dazzling” light pollution is getting used to. A light feast, of course, but able to make us see the citycentre.

The relation with the space generating the city centre will be, besides, reinforced if we will entrust its long, and still vital, duration: that is the Fair heritage. Nowadays it shows itself in Dante Square: both physically with the Caniana fountain in the middle of a square, unbuilt and defined by ancient modules, and conceptually with the Chamber of Commerce there overlooking as economic force of the city.

Here is, then, the ancient Fair centre emerging again as urban center able to make the city live also at night dressing with light. The shadowy Dante Square will loose, from the end of August to 9th September, its usual night half-obscurity to present itself, temporanealy and brightly, as urban foyer – that is belonging to anyone, of another temporary theatre realized in Quadriportico del Sentierone and in Donizetti Theatre, whose just restored facade will appear enlighted over Sentierone. But Dante Square will not be the only light center, because, this year again, it will be a prologue to the events with Saint Alexander’s Feast and the lighting of its proper place.

Walter Barbero
architetto