The Journey by YAC con Mario Cucinella ad Arte Sella

Inaugurated at Arte Sella the work of YAC and Mario Cucinella by Scrigno: a nomadic architecture that is an invitation to travel (interior), to emphasize the sacredness of the relationship between man and nature

A sanctuary in the heart of the Trentino mountains, a light structure that becomes a network of connection between the outside and the inside, a nomadic architecture which, as if it were a simple tent, invites you to travel as an interior path.

The Journey is the new architectural installation, promoted by Scrigno and designed by the students of YACademy under the guidance of MC A – Mario Cucinella Architects, inaugurated at Arte Sella , the contemporary art park among the woods of Valsugana (TN) which generates a surprising dialogue between man’s ingenuity and the natural world.

Project resulting from a workshop

The project was selected from those developed within the A Door on a Better World workshop curated by YACacademy and promoted by Scrigno, a leading company in the field of opening. YACademy students worked under the tutorship of MC A – Mario Cucinella Architects and architect Cucinella in the development of a series of creative concepts for Arte Sella dedicated to the theme of sustainability and the future.

“Thanks to the A Door on a Better World workshop, I once again had the opportunity to meet young people and, for the umpteenth once, I was struck by their creative force” says Mario Cucinella . “The Journey shows their ability to go beyond the limits of today and knowing how to imagine beyond established schemes . This attitude can really bring about change and can open unexpected visions of the future”.

Young student-designers

It was created by Anna Collatuzzo, Arezoo Mohebpour, Paula Strieder, students of the courses in Architecture for Humanity and Architecture for Exhibition of the Academy of Higher Architectural Education in the heart of Bologna.

The Journey’s architectural design

The architecture of The Journey is reminiscent of that of a tent, composed of simple profiles grafted onto a sheet metal base also weighted with local stones. The structure is made up of wooden rods that start from two bases drawn on the profile of the golden section to meet at the top.

To enter, the visitor walks along an annular path, only to find himself at the centre of the work, which is configured as a sort of observation point towards the sky. It is here that the ‘journey‘ begins. The space is intimate and at the same time ‘open‘: it is possible to stop and look at the sky by sitting on a large boulder from the Moggio stream that flows nearby.

The encounter between the element of earth and that of the sky, in its simplicity, symbolises a return to the origins, as well as the precarious and nomadic nature of man’s permanence in relation to the life of a planet in constant mutation, with respect to which everyone experiences his own smallness and transience.

Green project: forest restoration and maintenance, as well as new grafts

The entire project was conceived to be Climate Positive thus providing for the absorption of more greenhouse gases than that emitted during construction of the work and thus embodying the will to leave new generations a better world. To obtain this result, the installation of the work was accompanied by restoration and maintenance interventions in the Val di Sella forests and the grafting of new trees of various species (maple, birch, rowan, beech, hornbeams, hazelnuts and spruces) in the vicinity of the structure, as a reforestation intervention in the area. The installation will leave therefore the territory that hosts it better than how it found it, thus creating a concrete synergy between art and nature.

The environmental projects will be carried out within the 12 hectares of the Arte Sella exhibition areas, severely damaged by the 2018 Vaia storm which hit the valley and the whole Triveneto, crashing millions of trees and disfiguring the mountains. Plant and maintenance interventions were coordinated by Etifor through the WOWnature initiative.

An opportunity for young people to create a virtuous circle

“The project has allowed us to offer an opportunity to these young and talented students who have been able to shape their commitment and social responsibility, combining artistic creativity and respect for the environment. An alternative, original and effective way to communicate shared values ” explains Francesco Bigoni, CMO of the Scrigno Group. “In this sense, we have contributed, together with our partners YAC, MC A and Arte Sella, to generate a virtuous circle that binds economy, territory, architecture and the world of art . Scrigno’s vocation for a higher quality of life is combined with the desire to stimulate a cultural change oriented towards sustainability​.”

Architecture that leaves a significant trace for the future

“The architecture responds to human needs, from primary to more complex ones” says Alessandro Cecchini, CEO of YAC. “The Journey represents the meeting point between these needs, presenting itself as shelter and at the same time as temple, at the confluence between the dimension earthly and the spiritual of man. In its nature of nomadic architecture, it refers to travel as an archetype , to change as the very condition of existence, to the need, also irrepressible, to leave a significant trace for the future, with a message of respect and care towards a environment which, today more than ever, must be considered in its sacredness.”

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