November 12, 2011
Trento Tunnel
I posted a couple of days ago about the Italian Internet Governance Forum meeting held inside an old highway tunnel in Trento. I have since learned from my friend Luca de Biase that the tunnel was turned into an exhibition space by my friend and colleague Jeffrey Schnapp! So let me tell you a little more about it.
The It’s at the base of a remarkable geologic protuberance. The space is a semi-circular tube that goes straight back for hundreds of feet. The walls — one continuous, extruded arch — are painted white, and the floor is as black as asphalt. The halls each take up an entire segment of the tunnel, with a wall on the right side creating a passageway between them. The front part of the tunnel was exhibiting photos of the devastation to Trento during WWI; so sad, so pointless. Meanwhile I’m told that the tunnel stays at a steady, cool temperature. The overall effect is that you are constantly aware that it is space that has been reclaimed and repurposed, yet its simplicity simultaneously makes it feel aesthetically bold and purposeful. It is, as I said in my first post, a weird venue. Very Schapp!
