Calcestruzzo (Concrete)

Calcestruzzo (Concrete) is a long-term project consisting of photographs, sculptures, postcards, newspapers and books that explore the different material variations of concrete. The widespread presence of concrete in Italy’s contemporary landscape has, on the one hand, informed several masterpieces of 21st century architecture. On the other hand, its presence has translated into a speculative drift that has led to overbuilding. Since the construction boom of the 1960s, concrete has shaped urban spaces, coastlines, suburbs, and the architecture of everyday life, giving form to the physical spaces and emotional landscapes in which several generations have grown up. Calcestruzzo (Concrete) offers a perspective that is both personal and collective, where images of the school and church I attended as a child coexist with those that tell the tale of the construction boom – known as the “Sacco di Palermo”.