Hospitalia

"Hospitalia" is a photographic survey started in 2012 on ancient European hospitals, mostly disused, abandoned or assigned for other uses. Aimed to enhance and preserve the memory of these monumental buildings, the research has geographically expanded including countries like Italy, France and Belgium, and most recently, thanks to careful studies on the archives of these hospitals, has developed toward those agricultural landscapes that were owned by such powerful structures, focusing as well on the mechanisms of solidarity that their management and development implied.

The work aims to give voice to the urban, architectural and social memory of these housing and healthcare places, but it is also proposed as a tale that suggests planning solutions. Thanks to the managers of the institutions involved, I had access to almost unexplored archives, underlining through my work of interpretation, topics that are useful to encourage networking and enhancement itineraries, highlighting the role of photography as a design tool, with the intention of triggering change and involving the community.

My work, therefore, wants to accompany the audience through the knowledge and understanding of the past but, pro-actively, is also concerned with providing useful inputs to the debate about future assignment of these sites and the structure of healthcare places of the future.
It's an artistic project that it is not only a photographic tale, accompanied by texts, videos and project material. It is also a catalyst of in-depth activities (conferences, workshops, FaberTeater show) and strategic projects (cross-sector projects, also at European level), aimed to guide the networking of public and private stakeholders, also in order to get started each individual place, thanks to specific enabling technologies (IoT, NFC, AI), in a choral and widespread narration of discovery, archiving and sharing.

In summary, “Hospitalia”:

Is an artistic project that aims to document a historical heritage and encourage the debate on the birth of initiatives to protect, enhance and re-use spaces related to the city and the territory concerned, but also to reflect on healthcare places of the future

Nowadays includes a dozen of ancient European hospitals located in: Milan, Vercelli, Turin, Alessandria (Italy), Lyons, Bourg en Bresse, Paris, Venice, Arles, Biella, Novara, Lessines

Has currently more than 500 photographs: 150 on the monumental architecture of these places, 150 on the interiors of the buildings, 100 from archives and artistic treasures (paintings, statues etc ..), as well as 100 landscape photographs on the heritage sites of these hospitals

Has established a European network of 50 public and private stakeholders interested in the project

Is a project of social impact as it aims to involve local communities in an awareness-raising vis-à-vis their community heritage, urging them, at different levels, to act for its protection and enhancement. In this regard, the project has brought conferences and workshops, built European projects (for example on the Europe4citizens program or with the twin cities of Arles and Vercelli), as well as suggested new projects, such as the rehabilitation of the former hospital St. Andrea in Vercelli (www.pisuvercelli.it).