Hypothesis of an open-air museum at the Centro Direzionale: the proposal in the Culture Commission.
The Culture Commission of the Municipality of Naples, chaired by Luigi Carbone, listened, at the request of the councilor Gennaro Demetrio Paipais (Together for the Future), the former councilor Nino Daniele and the president of the Direzionapoli association, Aldo Brandi, on the idea of creating an open-air museum of contemporary art at the Centro Direzionale. The project, explained Nino Daniele, included sculptures by great contemporary artists from all over the world but ran aground due to technical problems.
“Resuming that project would allow us to take away space from degradation thanks to beauty”, he said, as reported in a note from the Municipality. For Brandi, the skyscrapers of the Centro Direzionale and the Stazioni dell'Arte would constitute, together with the Museum, a cultural ecosystem of the highest level, capable of attracting various tourist segments, at fairly low costs.
This would give some breathing space to the commercial activities in the area that, especially after Covid, are experiencing a moment of serious crisis. The Museum at the Centro Direzionale, he added, remains a winning idea, an opportunity for relaunch and rebirth for the Center that does not deserve to continue to suffer from isolation from the rest of the city and the absence of projects to redevelop it.
The interest of the Council Commission, Brandi continued, opens a path to the relaunch of the Center that starts from a cultural and artistic input to fill the City with new content, diversifying its functions and expanding its potential in favor of the many activities present in it, from commerce to catering that still believe in the Center and the residents who have long been asking for greater livability.
Maria Caniglia, president of Municipality 4, explained that some green maintenance interventions have already been carried out but there is still much to do, considering that the Centro Direzionale covers a very large area. It is essential to create synergies between the municipality, the municipal administration and stakeholders to make the area more attractive.
An “exciting proposal” was defined by Gennaro Esposito (Manfredi Mayor), who expressed his opposition to the project of the Tower for the regional administration offices as part of the redevelopment of Piazza Garibaldi. Much better, he continued, to make the Centro Direzionale the Neapolitan Biennale, integrating, with a view to sustainability, culture, tourist accommodation and nightlife. He concluded by proposing to involve the mayor and the council in the work of the Commission to repurpose the Centro Direzionale starting in September. Flavia Sorrentino (Together for the Future) also expressed opposition to the project of the Torre della Regione, highlighting the need to interpret the needs that are currently emerging from society: more green spaces, more sustainability.
In this perspective, the Museum project could be the first step, to be implemented immediately. A collective rethinking of the spaces is then necessary, also involving the nightlife activities by creating the right synergies between the different branches of the administration. For Toti Lange (Misto), the Centro Direzionale would be the perfect place to host contemporary art, a sector in which Naples is among the trends worldwide. Alessandra Clemente (Misto) expressed support for the project and proposed using the numerous auditoriums for cultural moments open to tourists and citizens, and creating a skate park for the many young enthusiasts of this sport. For Demetrio Gennaro Paipais (Insieme per il Futuro), existing works of art lying in the Municipality's warehouses or depots could be used, with the double merit of restoring lustre and visibility to forgotten works and at the same time reducing the costs of the project.
An open-air museum in the City is an unifying and attractive idea, continued Paipais, capable of channeling flows of visitors and tourists to benefit the local economy and the related industries, while at the same time bringing about renovation works that will improve flooring, lighting, and safety against the current degradation. From September, it will be necessary to involve neighborhood and trade associations to carry out a participatory project for the relaunch of the Centro Direzionale. President Carbone stressed the need to ensure all the necessary funding for a project that would redevelop a severely degraded area.
He then announced a note to the mayor to ask for the activation of a table as soon as possible, with the municipality, municipalities, stakeholders, and promoters of the Museum, for the realization of the project in a short time.
Article published on 3 August 2022 - 19:15
