A museum set-up that carefully avoids giving the weapons and war relics a gloss of 'beauty' or glamour, leaving their poor material condition as a reminder of the violence, degradation and damage caused by war

Museum of the Great War in the Mountains

The layout of the section dedicated to the Museum of the Great Mountain War follows the approach taken for the restoration of the architecture of Fort Col Badin.

The objects on display, which emerged spontaneously or were found with a metal detector, come from the ground or the limestone rocks of the surrounding area where they were abandoned. They are the only remains of the many soldiers who fought on this front.

The artefacts have not been restored but kept in the same state in which they were first discovered.

The visitor can easily see the original finish, the type of work, the material, the degree of wear, the damage caused by the enemy and the ravages of time.

The exhibits are close to hand: a touch conveys more information than a caption can.

We chose to scatter the light unevenly to create chiaroscuro effects that give the rooms plasticity and depth. Very bright and stable LEDs allow close examination of the exhibits in dialogue with the historic walls behind them, which are full of other hidden treasures.

In the museum itinerary, the domes that housed the cannons, once destroyed by the Italian army before it abandoned the fortress, have been reproduced in metal. Inside, one can listen to the voices of young actors from the Nico Pepe Academy of Dramatic Art in Udine, who recite poems and recollections in the various languages spoken by the soldiers who fought on the two fronts in the Julian Alps.

One of the special events on the construction site was the installation of the domes by means of a helicopter.

CHIUSAFORTE (UD), ITALY
2009-2012
POSITION:
competition winner
INTENDED USE:
museum, cultural centre for exhibitions and conferences
TYPE OF INTERVENTION:
furniture design, museum layout and signage
DIMENSIONS:
covered area 1,253 square metres
STATUS:
completed
CLIENT:
Municipality of Chiusaforte