COSA DIAVOLO È IL SUOLO?

THIS QUESTION IS RAISED BY THE BRITISH ANTHROPOLOGIST TIMOTY INGOLD.
IN HIS LECTURE “WHAT ON EARTH IS THE GROUND?” INGOLD EXPLORES THE CONCEPT OF GROUND, WHOSE DEFINITION IS OFTEN APPROXIMATE AND WHOSE CONDITION IS OFTEN TAKEN FOR GRANTED.
IN ORDER TO TALK ABOUT GROUND, HE TELL US, THREE ELEMENTS ARE NEEDED: EARTH, ATMOSPHERE AND INHABITANTS.
EACH OR THESE EXERTS A PRECISE ACTION: ERUPTION – THE TELLURIC MOVEMENTS, EROSION – THE IMPACT OF ATMOSPHERIC AGENTS AD TRACES – THE SIGNS THAT HUMAN BEINGS, ANIMALS AND PLANTS DETERMINE.
HOWEVER NONE HAS COMPLETE PREVALENCE OVER THE OTHERS.
THE INTERSECTION, THE COMPARISON, OF THESE THREE ELEMENTS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE ACTIONS DEFINES THE CONDITION OF GROUND.
THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS SITUATION LEADS US TO THE REFLECTION THAT THE ARCHITECT’S WORK, ALTHOUGH STARTING FROM VERY DIFFERENTE ASSUMPTIONS, CAN BE SUMMARISED IN A SINGLE, PRECISE CONDITION: 

WE ARE BUILDING THE EARTH’S CRUST

THIS IS THE THEME PROPOSED TO THE STUDENTS AS A DIDACTIC EXPERIENCE, IN A RESEARCH PROCESS AIMED AT IDENTIFYING A CONDITION OF BELONGING, BOTH SPATIAL AND MATERIAL, BOTH PHYSICAL AND CONCEPTUAL.
EVERY BUILT SPACE IS AN ACT OF MODIFICATION AND APPROPRIATION OF A PLACE. A GESTURE MADE IN A PRECISE MOMENT AND IN A PRECISE POSITION BUT AT THE SAME TIME INDEPENDENT OF THE CONCEPT OF “HERE AND NOW”. A THOUGHT THAT FITS INTO A PROCESS OF COLLECTIVE, UNIVERSAL AND TIMELESS RESEARCH.

“TO MAKE THE TECTONIC BORDER UPON THE ARCHITECTONIC, TO MAKE NATURAL LANDSCAPE BORDER UPON ARTIFICIAL ONES. THE PASSAGE THAT LINKS WHAT IS MINERAL AND GEOLOGICAL TO WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL SHOWS HOW INDUSTRIALLY PROCESSED MATTER IS STILL PART OF THE LANDSCAPE, ALWAYS A PART OF NATURE AS STOREHOUSE OF MATERIAL.” ¹

¹ CARLOS NOGUEIRA, A NOITE E BRANCO, LISBON, MUSEU DA CIDADE, 2000, PP 32

Visiting professors at USI Accademia di Mendrisio (2022 e 2023), Politecnico di Milano (2023) and Università di Genova (2023 e 2024)

Guest’s critics at USI Accademia di Mendrisio, SUPSI, Haute Ècole d’Ingénierie et d’Architecture du Fribourg, Politecnico di Milano, Università Federico II di Napoli, Università degli Studi di Genova, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Università degli Studi di Trieste and Accademia Aldo Galli di Como.