Sculptural Benches at the Teatro del Silenzio Lajatico, Province of Pisa, Tuscany 2018 Sculptural Benches, Sedili d’Autore… Assembling a team of diverse artists to design a group of sculptural benches of the same material was the idea of the Sienese artist Mauro Berrettini. The inspiration was to return to artists the responsibility for designing public spaces rather than relegate that role to engineers and architects only. Thus, in a magnificent exercise in understatement, each artist has contributed a humble park bench, which is also a sculpture. The result is congenial to people’s use, where medieval plaza-building, artisanal working of local stone, and contemporary art intersect. And now, the architect of the Teatro del Silenzio Alberto Bartalini proposes to install 26 of these sculptural benches on the grounds of the magnificent amphitheater where Andrea Bocelli hosts 10,000 fans per concert each summer in Lajatico (Pisa) Tuscany for the benefit of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. The artworks are made of Sienese travertine limestone by a group of internationally- renown artists: Franco Adami, Marcello Aitiani, Mauro Berettini, Rinaldo Bigi, Nado Canuti, Jacopo Cascella, Pietro Cascella, Sandro Chia, Giralomo Ciulla, Daniel Courvreur, Georg Dietzeler, Mirella Forlivesi, Riccardo Grazzi, Kurt Laurenz Metzler, Ugo Nespolo, Justin Peyser, Jean Paul Phillipe , Giò Pomodoro, Enzo Scatragli, Matthew Spender, Viliano Tarabella, Joe Tilson, Mino Trafeli, Venturino Venturi, Cordelia Von Den Steinen and Kan Yasuda. Prior versions of the project were exhibited at the Triennale of Milan (1997, L’arte nella citta: il sedile in pietra) and in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence (2000) and have been installed permanently in the Tuscan towns of Castel San Niccolò (Arezzo) and Pontedera (Pisa). This current group of artworks come from the travertine quarries of Serre di Rapolano (Siena) and made under the direction of Riccardo Grazzi. 1 2 Franco Adami Marcello Aitiani 3 4 Mauro Berettini Rinaldo Bigi 5 6 Nado Canuti Jacopo Cascella 7 8 Pietro Cascella Sandro Chia 9 10 Giralomo Ciulla Daniel Courvreur 11 12 Georg Dietzeler Mirella Forlivesi 13 14 Riccardo Grazzi Kurt Laurenz Metzler 15 16 Ugo Nespolo Justin Peyser 17 18 Jean Paul Phillipe Giò Pomodoro 19 20 Enzo Scatragli Matthew Spender 21 22 Viliano Tarabella Joe Tilson 23 24 Mino Trafeli Venturino Venturi 25 26 Cordelia Von Den Steinen Kan Yasuda 27 Lajatico 28 Sedili d’Autore at the Teatro del Silenzio 26 Works by International Artists Idea by Mauro Berrettini Executed by Riccardo Grazzi Curated by Alberto Bartalini Photography by Carlo Vigni Inquires: [email protected] 2018.