After five hundred years of history, the Procuratie Vecchie in St. Mark’s Square in Venice have finally opened their doors to the public, unveiling on the third floor of the iconic palazzo the new home of the Generali Group’s The Human Safety Net (THSN) Foundation, designed for the Interior, Exhibition & Multimedia Design part by the Migliore+Servetto studio, under the artistic direction of Davide Rampello.
Part of THSN’s headquarters hosts the interactive exhibition “A World of Potential“, focusing on personal awareness and the development of human potential.
In addition to the exhibition, Migliore+Servetto’s project involves the entire top floor and the reception areas on the ground floor, a coworking area reserved for the activities of the Foundation and its partners, and event rooms, flanked by an auditorium.
There is a strong reference to Venetian style in the contents and materials, also thanks to the collaboration with some local craftsmen. The link is built on several levels, starting with the visual one with St. Mark’s Square: special emphasis has been placed on the 100 16th-century oculi that run the entire floor, giving the whole a pictorial value as well as a direct relationship with Venice. In some of these openings, vision has been enhanced by a technological magnification system that, like Canaletto’s optical machines, allows visitors to immerse themselves in city life. In addition, the installation ‘Window on Venice’ allows visitors to take a leap in time, exploring in 3D what some places in the city looked like in the 16th century such as Giudecca, the Rialto Bridge, the Arsenal, Burano and Murano.
The partitions of space and the furnishings, all designed by Migliore+Servetto, are placed in dialogue with the existing structures, enhancing the majestic subdivision of the architectural volumes and further recalling the deep Venetian roots of the place in the materials used: glass, copper, wood, mirrors.
Venice’s bond with theatre and masks also inspired the installation ‘Teatro Veneziano’ – the brainchild of Davide Rampello – which welcomes visitors with a mix of tradition and technology.
In addition to the interior design of the entire THSN venue, the interactive installations and the multimedia content of the exhibition, Migliore+Servetto designed the environmental graphics and signage that accompany and guide visitors. The studio also contributed to the selection of the contents of the Art Studio, the space dedicated to temporary exhibitions within the exhibition, which houses CHUTZPAH. A tent that is not a tent, animals that are not animals, curated by Gabi Scardi, an exhibition project realised by the collective Atelier dell’Errore BIG, a unique and precious reality on the Italian scene that gives voice through art to a community of young people marked by neurodiversity.
Moreover, the Studio signs the installation of 100 tapestries on the façade of the Procuratie Vecchie facing St. Mark’s Square (visible for one week from the opening) and the smaller one of 22 tapestries on the internal façade of Corte Maruzzi, which use environmental graphics to tell through images the actions of the Foundation and its identity, starting from symbols that pay homage to the Venetian character of its new home.
For more information visit www.architettimiglioreservetto.it.
Photo by Andrea Martiradonna, courtesy of Migliore+Servetto.
