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Architects: Francesco Di Salvo, Ilyass Erraklaouy, Nicola Baldassarre, Salvatore Dentamaro
- Area: 125 m²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Antonio Bouzas Barcala
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Manufacturers: Urban medical
Text description provided by the architects. Gold Digger is an installation that explores the world of curiosity and discovery. This was the theme of the 2021 edition of the festival "A Cel Obert", a festival of ephemeral interventions that has been held annually since 2014 in the city of Tortosa in Catalonia. The festival aims at transforming unknown historical spaces into a stage for artistic creations and reclaiming the architectural heritage of the city through ephemeral art.
The installation is located in the Patio de Sant Jordi and Sant Domènec dels Reials Colégis. This space served to educate the Moors and is a legacy of the 16th century, a period of economic and social splendor in the city.
The composition of the work consists of a large cloth made up of 112 thermal blankets that occupy the space of the Patio de Sant Jordi and Sant Domènech. The installation seeks to highlight the inherent quality of the material and create two different faces that symbolize the duality between two spaces: hot-cold, light-shadow, gold-silver.
The golden side of the fabric faces the interior of the courtyard, the silver side faces the building. In this way, the fabric creates a clear chromatic difference between the exterior and the interior of the courtyard.
The fabric is suspended 1.30 meters above the floor. The light penetrates through circular holes 60 centimeters in diameter pierced into the fabric at strategic points.
The first impression the user has when entering the installation is that of a dark and cold space, created by the silver side of the fabric. However, the points of light produced by the holes invite the user to explore what is on the other side. To access the light, the user must necessarily bend down and step enter under the fabric.
Looking through one of the holes, the user discovers the luminous world inside the courtyard, created by the golden surface of the fabric. Inside, visitors can also admire the statues of kings peeking through the other holes in the fabric. Furthermore, the constant breeze of Tortosa moves the fabric, creating new light reflections and a sound that is reminiscent of ocean waves.
The color and effect of the installation change depending on the time of day. At midday, the light falls directly from above and the reflection of the fabric blinds the viewer. At sunset, on the other hand, the golden color of the fabric takes on new shades, more delicate and pink.
Visitors had the opportunity to actively interact with the installation. They could not only admire the sculptural details of the Renaissance ornaments in the courtyard but also interact with the other visitors.
