Gianfranco Baruchello, Chiara Camoni, Damiano Damiani, Giuseppe De Mattia, Guido Guidi, Giuseppe Palumbo
INA-Casa Via del Mare, New Social Spaces
03.28.2024 – 04.21.2024
Gianfranco Baruchello, Chiara Camoni, Damiano Damiani, Giuseppe De Mattia, Guido Guidi, Giuseppe Palumbo
INA-Casa Via del Mare, New Social Spaces
03.28.2024 – 04.21.2024
INA-Casa Via del Mare, New Social Spaces
MUST – Historical Museum of the City
Lecce
Exhibition curated by studioconcreto
Scientific contribution by Andrea Mantovano
The exhibition INA-Casa Via del Mare, New Social Spaces promotes a reflection on the enhancement of the INA-Casa plan’s assets, focusing on their preservation and the integration of new elements that can combine environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
The story unfolds along a timeline that explores, through texts, works, and archival documents, the importance and impact of the national INA-Casa plan (1949–1963), one of the most significant public housing projects on a national scale. The plan, signed by Amintore Fanfani, was established by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare as a catalyst for economic recovery in the post-war period, through Law No. 43 of February 28, 1949, titled “Measures to Increase Worker Employment by Facilitating the Construction of Housing for Workers.”
The exhibition dedicates a special focus to the specific case of the INA-Casa Via del Mare complex, which holds the distinction of being the first INA-Casa housing project approved by the Municipal Building Commission of the City of Lecce. Like a process of osmosis, the exhibition aims to showcase the interpenetration of certain elements of the national plan with the local context, offering broader reflections on the transformation process affecting this significant modern architectural heritage.
The multidisciplinary approach of the exhibition involves artists and experts with diverse practices around the concepts of living spaces, domesticity, and memory. Among the prominent figures involved are director Damiano Damiani, and photographers Guido Guidi and Giuseppe Palumbo. For the visual arts, Gianfranco Baruchello, Chiara Camoni, and Giuseppe De Mattia offer perspectives on the theme of housing, opening up discussions on the political transformations of the urban landscape and the significance of spaces dedicated to social interactions in daily life. A prominent aspect of the exhibition is the inclusion of some identifying plaques from the INA-Casa plan. These polychrome tiles, attributable to significant artists like Pietro De Laurentiis, Guerrino Tramonti, and Publio Morbiducci, contributed to fostering a sense of belonging among the residents, as they represent a tangible symbol of the effort to provide dignified housing for workers and promote the construction of more cohesive communities.
The historical memories of the neighborhood are interwoven with archival documents; black-and-white family photos engage in dialogue with vintage aerial images, and open questions, arising from an analysis of residents’ needs, are returned to the community in a “wish book” for the future. Starting from the INA-Casa Via del Mare neighborhood, the exhibition will be an opportunity to explore and renegotiate the challenges of urban living and housing.
Exhibition carried out with the contribution of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, Regione Puglia, Fund for the financing of projects and activities of general interest in the Third Sector (Articles 72 and 73 of Legislative Decree No. 117/2017) – PugliaCapitaleSociale 3.0 Notice. Under the patronage of the Municipality of Lecce, Arca Sud Salento, the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects, and Conservators of the Province of Lecce, and the Historical Archive of INA Assitalia.