The International Summer School "The City and the Water. Architecture, arts and self-construction experiences: the regeneration of the Two Lakes artisan area in Pietrasanta" is going to start. The organizers of the Summer School are the University of Pisa, in particular the Master Degree Course in Architectural Engineering (DESTeC, School of Engineering), the CAV Visual Arts Center and the Municipality of Pietrasanta, with the contribution of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca.
Matthew Simmonds, an art historian and architectural stone carver based in Italy, has created a collection of exceptionally beautiful miniature spaces carved from stone. Having worked on a number of restoration projects in the UK - from Westminster Abbey to Ely Cathedral - his skills have been transferred into work of a much smaller, if not more intricate, scale. Hewn from large stone blocks (some of marble), the level of intricacy Simmonds has achieved in the architectural detailing is almost incredible. Capitals, vaults and surfaces all distort and reflect light in a very beguiling way.
