Architecture and Vision Wins “Piazza della Memoria” Sculpture Competition

Architecture and Vision have won the international competition for a sculpture in the “Piazza della Memoria” on the waterfront of Messina, Sicily.

The jury, chaired by Eng. John Caminiti, voted unanimously for the project with the motto "The Phoenix - reborn more gloriously" that will find its place in the “Piazza della Memoria”. According to the jury, the selected artistic intervention will contribute substantially to define and distinguish the new overall image of the area through its three-dimensional characterization, triggering a real process of identification in the collective memory for the city.

The competition theme was to propose a sculpture, which deals with the collective memory of the City of Messina, which was completely destroyed by an Earthquake in 1908. The “Piazza della Memoria” is one out of seven squares along the Messina waterfront. The others are dedicated to the four natural elements Air, Earth, Fire and Water, as well as to Art, Culture and Fragrance. They form part of an urban renewal project started in 2003 to revitalize the quality of the spaces between the buildings along the quay, which were built in the 1930s by proponents of the Italian Rationalist movement. The Memorial Square is located between two buildings that are part of the so-called "Palazzata" by architect Giuseppe Samonà, which redefined the waterfront after the earthquake with the strong presence of a series of 11 public buildings.

The winning sculpture, called “LaFenice”, is forming a connection between Earth and Sky, between past and future and reflecting the lights and the movements of the city into the square. LaFenice - ‘The Phoenix’ – recalls the story of the mythological bird, which is reborn out of his own ashes: a symbol of hope and renewal. The power of its message lives in the minds, hearts and souls of people.

The abstract sculpture consists of three and a half highly reflective, slightly shifted double pyramids, which are stacked on top of each other, being reminiscent of growth and the upheaving flight of a bird.

The shape integrates with the existing kaleidoscope stone pattern of the square, forming an architectural unity. The reflective surfaces depict different moments of movement and light, becoming a kaleidoscope of the urban life of Messina and the innate human impulse to explore new horizons, past and future, to capture each element, from closest to the furthest, in a continuous search for a new insight and outlook.

The duality between ‘static’ and ‘dynamic’ inherent in the monolithic sculpture strives to become a universal symbol for human life and culture, which only develops through the transmission of memory. LaFenice gives the citizens a interesting play of reflections of lights and colors and mirrors the elements that surround it, such as sky, sea, trees, buildings and themselves.