“Observatorium (Unitè d’habitation)”, 2011
Prototype (unique example) in scale 1:33. Construction in steel, iron, plexiglas, solar panel, earth, lawn.
128x100x196 cm. Photo: Giovanni Lattanzi. Courtesy The artist

For “Constructive Interferences” the artist, responding to a request from DG & DF metals with reference to the earthquake which have tragically scarred the recent and not so recent history of Italy, devised a “Unitè d’habitation” made entirely of steel. Therefore, the “Unitè d’habitation” designed by Paolo Parisi is a living unit made of steel measuring 3x3x5 (h) m, raised from the ground as though on stilts, which you can only reach by means of a tilting ladder (alongside it you can park your motorbike or another vehicle). One side of the unit is intended by the artist to be fitted with fluo red plexiglass windows which look out onto a view. Inside the room there is a bed, cupboard and bathroom and walls of matt brushed steel. The external surface is made of reflecting steel so that it blends with the environment as much as possible. The surroundings are reflected in it. On the roof: solar panels can be positioned on 2/3 of the surface while 1/3 provides enough space for a small lawn-vegetable plot, depending on the inhabitant’s requirements. The roof also collects rainwater.

© 2011, Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, Francesca Referza, (curated by), “Constructive Intefernces”, Exhibition Catalogue, Published by Fondazione Malvina Menegaz, Castelbasso.