Beyond Shape
The Living Facade of the Aosta Valley University Hub
A facade that does not merely enclose, but breathes.
A surface that reveals and conceals, inviting exploration.
Light and geometry dissolve into an ever-changing narrative.
A dialogue between architecture, technology, and perception.
Between the visible and the invisible, a space of transformation.
The facade of the Aosta Valley University Hub becomes a moving enigma—a surface that refuses to be merely observed and instead demands exploration. In the interplay of light and shadow, in the ceaseless formation and dissolution of lines, an unfolding narrative emerges—one without a beginning, without an end. It is an iceberg, not merely in its form rising from the earth, but in its very essence: revealing and concealing, urging the gaze to go beyond, to imagine the unseen.
Layer upon layer, the performance constructs and deconstructs its own meaning: geometric patterns that feel familiar yet evade immediate comprehension, formulas that float like echoes of a past projected into the future. Every image is a question; every shape, a resonance. What emerges is not just technological progress but the realization that all of this is, ultimately, a long, unbroken conversation between the visible and the invisible.
And then there is the building itself—both spectator and protagonist. Its facade does not merely protect what it holds within; it becomes a breathing threshold, absorbing and releasing. Here, architecture ceases to be mere structure and transforms into language. The energy of the surrounding environment and the pulsing heart of the structure converge in a silent dialogue, charged with tension and meaning.
The spectator is invited to lose themselves, to follow these geometries as one would a branching path—aware that the way is never linear, that every journey is a stratification of choices, eras, and insights. In the end, what remains is an intuition: the understanding that the boundary between what has been and what will be is never fixed, but a space of continuous transformation.
Videos with the original audio: https://youtu.be/Ovsa4HTL7Eg and https://youtu.be/4MzNuCS9OJk
Artistic Site-Specific Performance by Riccardo Mantelli
Sound and video adaptation: Riccardo Mantelli
DJ Set during the event: Marco Foresta (Ivreatronic)
Video footage: Igor Nicola and Valentina Corrado
Editing and post-production: Guido Marchegiano
Concept: Alessandro Ottenga
A production by Associazione La Clé sur la Porte ATS, as part of the INNESTI festival, realized with the support of the Municipality of Aosta and with the contribution of the Regional Department for Cultural Heritage and Activities, Educational System, and Intergenerational Policies.