The First Complete Census of Public Artworks in Torino

  • Luca Davico Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, Politecnico di Torino, viale Mattioli 39, 10125 Torino, Italy
  • Paola Guerreschi Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, Università degli Studi di Torino, viale Mattioli 39, 10125 Torino, Italy
  • Luisa Montobbio Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, Politecnico di Torino, viale Mattioli 39, 10125 Torino, Italy

Abstract

Since the end of the 20th century, public art has registered a new tendency towards growing institutionalisation. The self-managed spontaneity of murals is increasingly conveyed in projects conceived or supported by public or private institutions. Public art has played an important role in the policies aimed at reviving cities. Since this was implemented in Torino in the last quarter of the century, public art has grown remarkably in the city, especially in the outskirts. The project Arte per strada Torino (https://www.arteperstradatorino.it) aimed to create a portal containing the first complete census of artworks in public spaces in Torino (Italy) and its belt. This census was carried out through an analysis of existing repertoires of public art works in the city, integrated by interviews with qualified witnesses and detailed field surveys. The project also collects publications, documents and other websites related to the field of public art. The data for the census were collected from existing repertoires of public artworks in Torino, through systematic site inspections, as well as from the Municipality of Torino and local art associations. The period considered is from 1990 to the present, that is to say, the age in which Torino experienced a great flourishing of public art. The Arte per strada Torino website offers three different ways to access the artworks collected: a textual list, a photo gallery and an interactive map. This project offers a solid basis for analysing public art in Torino and its outlying area, which will be useful for policymakers, artistic associations, researchers and interested citizens.

Author Biographies

Luca Davico, Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, Politecnico di Torino, viale Mattioli 39, 10125 Torino, Italy

Luca Davico (°1964) is an assistant professor at the department DIST of Politecnico and Università di Torino; he teaches Urban Sociology, Sociology of Innovation and Social Research Methodology. Luca carried out research on the following topics: sustainability, social sciences in urban plans, policies, transformation and redevelopment, public art, transports, training, tourism, and toponymy. From 1999 to 2023, he was the scientific director of Rapporto Rota (which analyses policies and data on Italian metropolitan cities); since 2014 he has coordinated the project Immagini del cambiamento (documentation and analysis on urban transformations in the area of Torino: http://www.immaginidelcambiamento.it) and from 2016 the project Arte per strada Torino (with the first complete census of public art in Turin and its surroundings: https://www.arteperstradatorino.it).

Paola Guerreschi, Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, Università degli Studi di Torino, viale Mattioli 39, 10125 Torino, Italy

Paola Guerreschi (°1968) is a research technician at the Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning at the Politecnico e Università di Torino (DIST). She has worked for years in the geomatics field using GIS software to process geographic datasets for spatial analysis and photogrammetric software to produce 3D models and orthoimages. She has a degree in architecture. She promotes and coordinates the Arte per Strada Torino project, dealing with creating the interactive map for the website (https://www.arteperstradatorino.it).

Luisa Montobbio, Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, Politecnico di Torino, viale Mattioli 39, 10125 Torino, Italy

Luisa Montobbio (°1968) is a technician at the Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning at the Politecnico e Università di Torino (DIST). She works in graphic design and publishing. She has a degree in literature with a focus on art history and archaeology. She promotes and coordinates the Arte per Strada Torino project, which aims to classify all public artworks in the metropolitan area of Turin. She manages the website https://www.arteperstradatorino.it.

Published
2024-09-06
How to Cite
Davico, L., Guerreschi, P., & Montobbio, L. (2024). The First Complete Census of Public Artworks in Torino. GoINDIGO, 104-121. https://doi.org/10.48619/indigo.v0i0.978