Dario Curatolo with Nerosicilia, Mosaicomicro

Courtyard of Honour South Portal - University of Milan

The project of Dario Curatolo It aims to represent a kind of "degree zero" of human space: the sky, the earth, and the individual. The earth is symbolized by a "pouring" of matter, full-bodied and dense, expanding from the stairs into the area in front of the portal, made of slabs of lava stone from Nerosicilia .

The sky is made up of thousands of stars, tiny tiles produced by Mosaicomicro recovering glass from discarded computer monitors and televisions: small fragments of various shades, like atoms that construct the sky, as well as the roof, providing shelter.

Man's presence is symbolized by two large grey lava stone partitions, resembling a cave whose walls carry signs, words and silk-screened glass codes. Like ancient rock engravings, these marks bear witness to the evolution of humanity.

The partitions also define an artificial perspective, a Borrominian perspective, exaggerated and leading towards a door of light: a luminous curtain that divides the space, symbolizing the vision of the future, both intangible and near. A future that dreamers are able to see, those who strive to plan tomorrow with sensitivity and awareness, because human space is fragile.

In the installation designed by Dario Curatolo, the Scalone d'Onore is enveloped in a second skin, with an inclined structure to create an accelerated perspective. Nerosicilia provided the lava stone (laNera surface) for the steps and the grey-colored slabs (enneUno), adorned with silk-screened texts and designs, for the walls.

ph. Paolo Consaga