The architect Massimiliano Lanciani has been working around in Barga and this area for a few years now there is another side to the man which is not really to do with bricks walls and doors … it has more to do with something that it deeply inherent in the man – his sense of humour and delight in man made objects.
This joy in an “object well made” first came to the attention of people living or passing through Barga Vecchia back in 2011 when passing by the newsagents – Mario Edicola, just inside Porta Reale they noticed a tiny red figure seemingly keeping the door open for them as they entered the shop.
The carefully cut out wooden figure was in fact the work of Massimiliano, who’s office was nearby and who had decided to make a series of prototypes to keep the door of the Edicola open during the prolonged spell of good weather that Barga enjoyed that summer (article with images here)
Jump to a few years later and once again he was instrumental in the construction of the interior of the Barga Pop Tarot Room in the new Bistro at the Locanda di Mezzo which included a well designed lighting system which just perfectly fitted and graced the centuries old walls (article and images here)
In March, Barga Vecchia woke up to new Massimiliano Lanciani objects, this time even larger and once again that visual humour was back. Two metal fold out seats which occupy minimal space but stand out perfectly against the pink walls of the building.
They could well turn out to be the most photographed objects in Barga Vecchia this summer (article here)
Later that month, yet more new street furniture was installed in Barga Vecchia .
This time outside the Altana restaurant and on the wall of Mario’s edicola just inside Porta Reale.
And then yet another fold up, fold down seating, again with treated Iroko wood and this time outside the Scacciaguai restaurant .
Iroko is a large hardwood tree from the west coast of tropical Africa that can live up to 500 years. The tree is known to the Yoruba as ìrókò, logo or loko and is believed to have supernatural properties.
Iroko is known to the Igbo people as oji wood. It is one of the woods sometimes referred to as African teak, although it is unrelated to the teak family. The wood colour is initially yellow but darkens to a richer reddish brown over time.
This seat has already be named the “scacciapanca” and according to Massimiliano Lanciani, it will not be the last … he is already working on another version for another site in Barga vecchia.
We said then “Watch this space” …. it was not long in coming.
This week, the fourth version was already being installed in Piazza Salvo Salvi.
This time he has gone back to a metal frame but visually extremely different to all the others as this is a vertical object and resembling something closer to a throne than a seat or a bench with an overall golden hue to the metal work.
Massimiliano Lanciani – Progettazione architettonica – Restauro architettonico, conservazione – Architetture temporanee, installazioni – 3, Via Di Mezzo – 55051 Barga (LU) tel. 0583 711463