The one of MAC Lula It is a happy story in several aspects: firstly because it is the result of a ideas competition announced in 2018 for the recovery of some abandoned houses in the historic center, to transform them into a large museum. No less important is the place where it is located, that is, the town of Lula, a small town of 1,400 inhabitants in central-eastern Sardiniain the province of Nuoro, famous for its mining history and its religious and culinary traditions.
A reality that is not very touristy, despite the spectacular landscapes and prehistoric sites, but which, thanks to an enlightened client, managed to complete the great challenge: bringing contemporary art to the heart of the island.
The promoters of the MAC Lula project are Domenico Fumagalli AND Mariolina Mannia – he is Milanese, she is originally from the city – united by a great passion for art, who found the realization of their idea in the proposal of the Venetian architect Luca Zecchin, thus managing to complete the project in a very short time, despite the pandemic and the difficulties of an intervention in the historic center.
The recovery of existing contemporary geometries, minimal colors and material contrasts are the key elements of the project.in a mixture of abstraction and belonging that, evoking memory and at the same time rooted in today’s history, confirms the role of the museum, interpreter of a cultural, social and economic regeneration based on the values of the context, place of culture and collective . recognizability.
Yesterday and today: a balance between coffins and contemporary grafts
In accordance with the principle of a generalized museum, as requested in the initial call for competition, the project is configured as the connection of fragments.
“Frag-mentum indicates both the piece of a broken thing and the preserved, most precious part of a work” – Explain Luca Zecchin – “The recovered buildings are fragments that record the signs of time, of life, of absence. Their documentary power and evocative force are assumed as mnemonic elements to preserve and innovate in the time of contemporaneity.”
The strength of the project lies, in fact, in delicacy of the comparison with the urban and in the integration of the various functionsimplemented through the care of materials and accessories that allows us to read the essence of Loci Geniohighlighting the value of the signs of the time.
Existing buildings are the subject of recovery, restructuring and consolidation interventions of the construction parts, without false reconstructions, dedicated to eliminating the phenomena of degradation, counteracting the collapse of the structures and eliminating incongruous elements. The façade of the oldest building then sees the recovery (by the same artists) of Lula symbol mural paintingcreated in 1981 by the artist Diego Asproni with Francesco Del Casino and Nico Orunesu.
The interiors are treated like treasure chests., designed in every detail to accommodate pictorial and sculptural works. The preserved parts are distinguished by the Continuous white lime plaster material and texture.made by local workers, reminiscent of the old “carchina” of Lulese. Contemporary grafts are made of natural iron or anthracite resin.which recalls in color some symbolic elements of Lula, from the history linked to mining activity to charcoal production, used to cover the face of the traditional “su Battileddu” mask.
While they guide the visitor to the discovery of the works of art, the tours, on multiple levels, make them lose orientation in the space, which is then rediscovered thanks to iconic “telescopes” – minimal recognizable elements of the museum spread throughout the city, clearly visible even from the outside – that channel the view of the landscape and the alleys of the towntotally enjoyable once you reach the top floor terrace.
LUCA ZECCHIN (1981) architect (IUAV University of Venice 2005) PhD (University of Trento 2011). Architecture, city, landscape, territory, are the fields of theoretical and applied research, in the innovation of techniques and tools of the regeneration architecture project, especially in relation to the emerging figures of the marginal.
He obtained awards and recognition in national and international competitions for ideas and projects, some of which were realized, including the extensive Lula Museum of Contemporary Art.
He is the author of essays and publications, including “Architecture of Marginal Spaces” and “The Architecture of Matisse.” Since October 2022 he is a researcher (RtDb L. 240/10) in Architectural and Urban Composition at the University of Udine.
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