Not Only Biennale – Art Installation
Caffe Florian
Aldo Cibic - (IN)Complete
An in-progress research on life and
design
In the Chinese Room of the
historical Caffe Florian, in Piazza San Marco, until September 8, architect,
designer and artist Aldo Cibic
presents (IN)Complete, curated by Stefano Stipitivich, an in-progress study on life and
design that is also a research programme: a digital platform that allows us to investigate and understand relevant
themes of our times.
Photograph courtesy Caffe Florian - :VeNews Medialab
Caffe Florian – The Chinese Room
Aldo Cibic - (IN)complete
An in-progress research on life and
design
Cibic’s
art is a modern reinterpretation of a Venetian alcove: three walls made of
tinted Plexiglas canes encircle a screen that seems to float mid-air. The art installation
is an extension of the Chinese Room and
integrates beautifully with the historical Venetian decor. It is the scene for
a digital platform in continuous
evolution, where visitors are asked to participate in a survey about
current events on the themes of nature, society, technology, and the future of
design. (IN)complete is an
interactive installation. A colored, moving cloud is shown on a monitor, which
illustrates the data gathered thus far, they can contribute anonymously to sixteen questions; the data will be fed into the system, elaborated, and
visualized on the screen in real time. Every
questionnaire generates a unique 3D model for every respondent, who will
receive a copy of the model via e-mail.
Caffe Florian
Aldo Cibic - (IN)Complete
Questions from the survey are
printed on colored Caffe Florian
doilies. In an era of historical revolution in
environment, society, and technology, (IN)Complete is a tool that uses data to
investigate the spirit of our times. (IN)Complete was born as an open-source
project in constant evolution, hence destined to be forever ‘incomplete’. The
data gathered over three months, will be used for the project’s phase two; a
platform for discussion, to understand which actions we may undertake to
imagine and to plan for a sustainable future.
Every year the Florian’s art director, Stefano Stipitivich invites different artists to reinvent
the spaces of the cafe, under the title Unica.
The Piazza San Marco
The oldest coffeehouse in the world looks onto the most beautiful square
in the world, the Piazza San Marco. Opened in 1720 by Floriano
Francesconi under the name “alla
Venezia Trionfante”, or Triumphant Venice, it soon became known
by its patrons as “Florian’s”, the most famous “bottega da caffe” (cafe) of the day, frequented by important people, such
as D’Annunzio, Goldoni and Casanova.