This continues the report from 7/25 and 7/27. Matteo Di Michele, Arcosanti Human Resources coordinator and Italian Project coordinator, accompanied the first shipment of Soleri's work to Rome. He returned with photos of all three exhibition spaces.
The Italian National Institute For Writings And Drawings and The Department for Architecture and Contemporary Art of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage, in cooperation with the Cosanti Foundation, The Roman Association of Professional Architects, and several other institutions are organizing an anthological retrospective on the production of architect Paolo Soleri. The event will be hosted in three prestigious venues in Rome from the 8th of October 2005 until the 8th of January 2006. The first section of the exhibition will be hosted by The Palace of the Trevi Fountain (Palazzo Fontana di Trevi).[Photo & text: Matteo Di Michele, sa]
The Palace of the Trevi Fountain section will give particular attention to Soleri exceptional free-hand drawings (sketches, views, visions, and figurations), including some of the most popular Soleris long scrolls, which will be displayed in an enormous round room located at the second floor of the palace.
[Photo & text: Matteo Di Michele]
The second section of the exhibition will be hosted by MAXXI, the Department for Architecture and Contemporary Arts National Museum for the 21st Century. It will illustrate the progressive elaboration of the concept of arcology, from the original conceptual and graphic ideas defined in Soleris book, Arcology: The City in the Image of Man, to the later Two Suns Arcology series and the Space for Peace project. A didactic section will also explain the construction techniques used by Soleri at Cosanti and Arcosanti.
[Photo & text: Matteo Di Michele]
The third section of the exhibition will be hosted by Casa dellArchitettura, the main location of the Roman Association of Professional Architects and the former Roman Aquarium. It will house Soleris graphic production and models (several arcologies, bridges, and vertical cities) from the Eighties to present. The nucleus of this part of the exhibition will be the documentation of Arcosanti. Drawings, designs, as well as photographic and multi-media material from initial construction in the Seventies to the most recent Arcosanti 5000 model, will be included. This spacious location will host also several conferences and a special urban planning workshop
[Photo & text: Matteo Di Michele]
Restoration work continues on the Double Cantilever Bridge model. Bridge and stand are two separate pieces and the connecting element at the bottom of the bridge is damaged. The restoration crew has cast a cocoon to help form a new connecting element. Restoration project leader Tomiaki Tamura sprays the inside of the cocoon with a releasing agent ....
[Photo: Kim Soo Young & text: sa]
.... and pours plaster into the cocoon.
[Photo: Kim Soo Young & text: sa]
The plaster cast has set and separates clean from the cocoon.
[Photo: Kim Soo Young & text: sa]
The cast piece inserts into the bottom of the bridge. A new connecting element will be built up and cast around it. More on restoration of the Double Cantilever Bridge on 9/21.
[Photo: Kim Soo Young & text: sa]
Wood panel installation continues in the East Crescent. Planning intern Kim Young Soo and workshop participant Melissa Bajorivic complete the installation in Unit 8 and begin Unit 9.
[Photo: Miriam Lea Ziven & Text: Miriam Lea Ziven, sa]
Each panel is carefully placed to give a smooth appearance of lines with ceiling and walls.
[Photo: Miriam Lea Ziven & Text: Miriam Lea Ziven, sa]
The clean finished beam with fire suppression system outlets is in place in Unit 10. Next report on interior construction on 8/31.
[Photo: Miriam Lea Ziven & Text: Miriam Lea Ziven, sa]
Carpentry is part of the interior work on the second floor apartments and meeting rooms of the East Crescent Project . A beautiful eight layer plywood, Norwegian Beech Apple Ply, is stained and prepared for installation to cover up utility lines.
[Photo: sa & Text: Miriam Lea Ziven, sa]
Casings house wiring for electricity, telephone, cable and internet T1 lines. Utility lines will still be accessible for maintenance by removable front facings.
[Photo: sa & Text: Miriam Lea Ziven, sa]
Visiting alumnus Patrick S. Doyle and construction volunteer Mika Kawai started this project.
[Photo: sa & Text: Miriam Lea Ziven, sa]
Cover panels will be bored to leave way for fire suppression system outlets. More on this on 8/24.
[Photo: sa & Text: Miriam Lea Ziven, sa]
One of the models to be exhibited in Rome in October 2005 is the Double Cantilever Bridge model. The model was cast by Paolo Soleri at Cosanti in the 1960's. Paolo carved the original out of silt, wrapped this carving in plaster of paris to make a cocoon. He poured plaster into this cocoon, then filed the dried plaster form to display the perfection of lines seen in this model. The silt finish was sprayed on at the end. Bridge and stand are two separate pieces.
[Photo: Cosanti Foundation & text: sa]
This model has been displayed in many exhibitions. It was damaged in transport from the last exhibition and needs intricate repair.
[Photo & text: sa]
Planning and Construction Intern Kim Soo Young cleans the upper part of the stand in preparation for a coat of plaster of paris to make a cocoon.
[Photo & text: sa]
The cocoon is complete and solidifies. More on this restoration on 8/26.
[Photo: Kim Soo Young & text: sa]
On Saturday, August 13., the Colly Soleri Music Center presented CALIFORNIA EAR UNIT, a internationally recognized group of musicians. This concert gives young composers a chance to have their works played by the group. Most of the pieces were performed for the first time and specifically written for EAR UNIT.
[Photo: Kim Young Soo, text: Miriam Lea Ziven & sa]
The concert was especially exciting because of the seasonal monsoon wind and rain. It provided an additional challenge to the already difficult music compositions. Although, lightning and rain by no way detracted from the experience and only added overall electricity to the EAR UNIT.
[Photo: Bob Manley, Miriam Lea Ziven & sa]
The California EAR UNIT is Dorothy Stone, flute; Phil O'Connor, clarinet; Robin Lorentz, violin; Peter Jacobson, cello; Vicki Ray, piano; and Amy Knoles, percussion.
Pieces performed were 'Summer Brooklyn' by John Altieri, 'Hazmats Sextet' by David Smooke, 'candlepin bowling deadwood' by Alan Shockley, 'How to play well with others' by Carl Schimmel, '2, Then Three' by Jacob Gotlib, 'Rifts' by Kari Besharse, and 'Unity Gain' by Christopher Lee.[Photo: Kim Young Soo, text: Miriam Lea Ziven & sa]
The effort of work-shoppers and residents made for a pleasant dining experience.
[Photo: Kim Young Soo, text: Miriam Lea Ziven & sa]
7 models will be displayed during the exhibition in Rome, see last report on 7/27/05. Director of Habitat and Design, Tomiaki Tamura, supervises restoration of the models. The OVUM II model depicts one of the Space Arcologies designed by Paolo Soleri.
[Photo & text: sa]
The model is suspended from a gearbox that houses lighting and rotation.
[Photo & text: sa]
OVUM II: An earlier version of this design, a model of OVUM I, was presented in an exhibit in Graz, Austria in 1984. This revised version was made in 1985, also from drawings that depict space settlements. The structural form consists of two rotating elements. The torus structure, rotating around an asteroid from which the structural components can be made by mining out its asteroidal matter, could host science and research activities as well as an urban center with residence and commercial facilities. The outside bubble-membrane that defines the ecological envelop of this space habitat provides a protective shield from space dust and radiation, and solar ray absorption surfaces for energy harvesting. The inside surface of this rotating membrane can provide agricultural and landscaping with a fraction of the earths gravity.
[Photo: sa & text: tt]
The torus has been re-glued and strapped to cure. More on model restoration on 8/19.
[Photo & text: sa]
On Saturday, August 13., the Colly Soleri Music Center features its annual concert by California EAR Unit. Every year EAR presents new music by some of the most talented composers of our time. Each performance is the culmination of a special seminar that provides an opportunity for gifted composers to study and work with professional musicians.
The schedule will begin at 4:00 pm with a complimentary site tour followed by a wine reception in the Arcosanti Cafe at 5:00 pm. The concert will start at 5:30 pm. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm. On the menu: Arcosanti Figs with Honey and Blue Cheese, Tapenade, White Bean Pest Sauce, Green Salad with Pears and Pecans, Butternut Squash with Orange and Cranberry. Arcosanti Tomatoes with Olives, Orange Cup fill with Grains, Beans and Garden Vegetables, Carfish with Avocado-Mango Salsa, Hazelnut Custard with Apricots. Photo is of EAR concert in 2004.[Photo: Yuki Yanagimoto & text: sa]
Welcome to July 31. workshop participants.
top from left: Melissa Bajorivic, Michael Brown, Miriam Lea Ziven and Saori Komuro. middle from left: Ai Koboyashi, Haley Jovi Cazarini Bueno, Scott Boyles [seminar week only], Giovanni Avosani, Mohammed Al-othman, Noh Hyun-Suk and David da Pra. front from left: Denman Glober, Cecilia Gramazio, Aya Takahashi [seminar week only], and Kristin Lieser. inset: William Constantino [seminar week only]
Monsoon season in Arizona is very hot and humid with quick and violent storms in the afternoons. Two extreme versions of this occurred in the last few days. Saturday evening Arcosanti was hit with a rain and hail storm of such force that within an hour the lake below the site was filled.
[Photo & text: sa]
A wash below the site, usually dry during the summer month, turned into a raging little river.
[Photo & text: sa]
Rain and hail came down so fast that moat and stage of the Colly Soleri Amphitheater, were flooded.
[Photo & text: sa]
Water rushed over the stage into the interior music center. On Tuesday afternoon a second storm of equal violence knocked out the power for 24 hours, as well as the main pump. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our utilities crew, and the local APS, we are back on line.
[Photo & text: sa]
Congratulations to the June 26. Workshop upon their graduation: [top from left] Dwight Long and Francesca Gulizia, [middle from left] David DeGomez, Arah Joe Battista, Stephen Wong and Andrew Lu, [front from left] Tania Garbe and Pierre-Antoine Moreno.
[Photo & text: sa]