Two Rome-based architects/designers named Lorenzo Pagliara and Gianmaria Zonfrillo are our featured artists today as they bent perception with their new piece called Wireframe. In part two of our public art posting that began yesterday the artists have worked with the locals to beautify this public space.
As an art project, the two call themselves Motorefisico. Here they work with a consortium of public organizations and local residents to “redevelop abandoned areas located in the municipality of Santa Croce di Magliano through the implementation of urban regeneration interventions developed with the involvement of the local community.”
The word “wireframe” may be familiar to anyone who has worked in digital 3D, as any object without its skin is referred to as such. Here they create an illusionary installation around a tennis court to appear as if it is surrounded by four wireframe walls. “The artwork is based on visual and optical composition,” they say, ‘aiming at giving the illusion that the tennis court sinks underground when viewed from above.”
It’s impossible to imagine the contemporary built environment without considering the impact of street art and graffiti has had on not only city dwellers but our city’s designers and architects. While previous generations may have dismissed incorporating painting techniques beyond traditional frescoes or murals, the new generation considers it their birthright to bring modern art movement influences, including Optical Art, Kinetic Art, and straight-up tape art often used on the street.
Rome-based architect/designers Lorenzo Pagliara and Gianmaria Zonfrillo consider themselves a street art duo as well – creating under the moniker Motorefisico. Working on city walls for them is simply an extension of their interior/exterior design interests along with video art and installation art as well. In their recent façade-painting project in Santa Croce di Magliano, Italy, Motoresfisico says they employed stencil techniques sometimes used by street artists to create exacting lines and illusionist effects to enhance the architectural feature of this building with two facades.
“We developed our geometric composition directly on the surface by creating a huge stencil with tape,” they say, “This allowed us to create shapes perfectly adapted.” Monochromatic and modernist, the composition pops with a kinetic three-dimensional effect. Suddenly a white box boasts a pedestrian-stopping display of intelligent design, something that is not always apparent on city streets and even less often has it been achieved with simple stencil technique.
Naming their architectural installation “The Slash”, the artistic duo completed it in conjunction with the 8th edition of the Antonio Giordano urban art award (Premio Antonio Giordano).