The text focuses on celebrations of large shoulder-borne processional structures, since 2013 part of the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In particular, the text examines the Macchina di Santa Rosa: a 30 meter high tower of light, constructed each year and transported through the narrow streets of the medieval town of Viterbo (Lazio, Italy). These installations straddling the masses serve as mediators between land and sea; they can be considered as interfaces and frontier space. The text is accompanied by a selection of images retracing various phases in the evolution of this tradition. The intent is to explore the various aspects of such intangible heritage both in relation to historical references and its own aesthetic and spatial dimension. By examining iconographic material – photographs and original drawings – the essay investigates particular aspects of a cultural phenomenon that involves an entire community. This collective space in a state of constant change requires a renewal and new readings, also in light of the recent international recognition of ―intangible heritage―. The study focuses on themes and methodologies for understanding contemporary expressions of immaterial cultural heritage. The ―quality of this collective space asks for new processes of surveying, archiving and historicizing; it needs to be recognised, monitored, preserved, protected and shared.
The urban space of the ephemeral heritage. Celebrations of big shoulder-borne processional structures
SALUCCI, Antonella
2016-01-01
Abstract
The text focuses on celebrations of large shoulder-borne processional structures, since 2013 part of the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In particular, the text examines the Macchina di Santa Rosa: a 30 meter high tower of light, constructed each year and transported through the narrow streets of the medieval town of Viterbo (Lazio, Italy). These installations straddling the masses serve as mediators between land and sea; they can be considered as interfaces and frontier space. The text is accompanied by a selection of images retracing various phases in the evolution of this tradition. The intent is to explore the various aspects of such intangible heritage both in relation to historical references and its own aesthetic and spatial dimension. By examining iconographic material – photographs and original drawings – the essay investigates particular aspects of a cultural phenomenon that involves an entire community. This collective space in a state of constant change requires a renewal and new readings, also in light of the recent international recognition of ―intangible heritage―. The study focuses on themes and methodologies for understanding contemporary expressions of immaterial cultural heritage. The ―quality of this collective space asks for new processes of surveying, archiving and historicizing; it needs to be recognised, monitored, preserved, protected and shared.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
