Carlo Vigni. L’industria della Polvere

Santa Maria della Scala brings to the exhibition Carlo Vigni’s shots of the historic IDIT Tower, which has always been considered a symbol of the post-World War II economic boom.

Siena is the city that acts as a backdrop to this iron monster: a 75-meter high structure that towers over the rural and suburban skyline of the Tuscan city. The tower’s activity lasted little more than half a decade, but in this short period of time it managed to become synonymous with development: an industrial dream that immediately suffered from programmed obsolescence.

Carlo Vigni’s photographs attempt to do aesthetic justice to the impotence of the building. The large-format images study the structure’s past; broken glass, rust and dust are deposited on the industrial skeleton of the tower, now a true archaeological monument of an era that no longer exists.

The exhibition also includes a video on the past of the building: the film shows the past (represented by the historical footage of the Istituto Luce) with the start of activities, and the present (represented by the aerial footage of Luca Gentili and a short film by Mirko Machetti). The exhibition catalog is published by Postcart.