Before Golem and Frankenstein, he was one of the first artificial beings to be created in literature: Pinocchio. The children's exhibition Piazza Pinocchio with the Tuscan village square is dedicated to the tragic-comic liar.
The houses around it deal with basic themes, allegories for water, fire or sound, as it were. On the basis of book episodes, the children are given the opportunity during the exhibition to interactively deal with questions about obedience, freedom, play, work and adventure.
From child to adult
The seven houses represent the world of experience that a child must visit in order to become a responsible adult. This form of initiation is a new interpretation of Pinocchio's episode in the belly of the fish, where he decides to be sensible from now on, in other words: to behave like an adult. Pinocchio's life reflects the development of every child from the stage of light-heartedness and imagination to the assumption of responsibility.
People can be wrong
The creature created by Master Gepetto against loneliness increasingly emancipates itself from its creator. This too is a parallel to the growing independence of a child from its parents, but also to the technological development of the present. After all, it is humans who define life, for example through mortality. But people can be wrong. Pinocchio, the little wooden robot, goes through many developments - just like the children who deal with this theme in the miniature houses. In their own way, they too will sooner or later end up in the belly of a big fish.
Arteplage
Neuchâtel
Visitor capacity per day
6'000
Visitor capacity per day
877'930
Idea
Expo.02 (Cathy Karatchian)
Sponsor
Yamaha Musikinstrumente, Zurich www.yamaha.com
Concept, artistic direction, scenography
Roberto Masiero, Padua, Italy www.mcstudios.it
in collaboration with the University of Padua, Italy www.uniod.it
Architecture
Luigi Snozzi, Groisman & Snozzi (Luigi Snozzi, Gustavo Groisman, Sabina Snozzi), Locarno www.snozzigroisman.com
General contrator shell construction
Blumer-Lehmann AG, Gossau www.lehmann-gruppe.ch
Sound design
Centro die Sonologia Computazionale dell'Università di Padova (Sergio Canazza; composition: Carlo de Pirro), Padua, Italy www.csc.dei.inipd.it
Monument
Sergio Camin, Italiy www.sergiocamin.it
General contractor for interior fittings
Holtmann GmbH & Co.KG, Langenhagen, Germany www.holtmann.de
Project management Expo.02
Bernard Stebler
Coaching Expo.02
Armin Heusser (Head)
Heidi Huber
Christelle Wick
Operations management Trilogy
Domenico Bernabei (Operations Manager)
Thomas Meissner (Operations Manager)
Frédérique Mouchet (Deputy Operations Manager)
Christelle Wick (Debuty Operations Managert)
Nikos Bühler (Assistant Operations Manager)
Dörte Desarzens (Assistant Operations Manager)
Emily Schofield (Assistant Operations Manager)
Guides
Ashley Barnes, Marion Berger, Isabelle Heughebaert, Jonathan Frigeri, Juri Jaquemet, Alexandre Lanz, Ali Mezouar, Jacques Ngoi, Doris Pützschler, Martine Wanner
Photos: Press kit Piazza Pinocchio; DVD Generation.02; © Jürg Frei; © Archive Frédérique Mouchet; © Eugen von Arb; © Archive Ralph Ammann
