Cantiere Barca

In 2011, the collective a.titolo and Turin European Youth Capital 2010, together with anthropologists Giulia Majolino and Alessandra Giannandrea, identified a derelict, low-rise structure built by the public administration in the 1970s as the perfect site to launch Cantiere Barca—an open workshop to share materials, skills, tools, and ideas. Originally built to accommodate local grocery stores, after the businesses closed down, the building never found new tenants and remained empty for decades. With the support of various organizations, both local and international, the initiators creatively interpreted the New Patrons paradigm and became both patrons and mediators of their own project. They invited Berlin-based collective raumlabor as artists in residence, with the task of running a series of public carpentry workshops. For several weeks at a time, Cantiere Barca became an informal place of encounter and learning, as well as a testing ground of possible futures for the neighborhood. Ideas materialized in the form of imaginative temporary installations created by raumlabor together with
the participants. Mobile basketball posts turned the parking lot in front of the building into a playground; benches and platforms encouraged people to sit and enjoy the otherwise neglected green spaces; a small stage was built to run public discussions; and an iconic star-shaped structure became a popular attraction for young and old alike. The project kicked off a public conversation about how to permanently reappropriate the building and give it a new collective use. A group of young residents hoped to establish a youth center there, which could promote cultural growth in the area by sharing creative and professional skills in an informal learning environment. Although the local administration joined them in a series of successful public meetings on the topic, the project never took off and today the building is empty once again—maybe because no real patrons were involved, and no real needs were expressed by the community, which is crucial for the success of the New Patrons’ program. Despite this failure, the memory of Cantiere Barca is very much alive, and, as the acquisition of documentary materials by New York’s Museum of Modern Art demonstrates, the project will remain in the records as a short-lived collective experience that continues to inspire the citizens of Barca and beyond to take direct action in shaping the future of their cities.

Text: Mirko Gatti