Comunicare la Democrazia

Sala della Regina, Palazzo Montecitorio, Rome
19th october > 17th november 2017

Comunicare la Democrazia. Stampa e opinione pubblica alle origini della Repubblica  is an exhibition promoted and chaired by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers to celebrate the seventies since the birth of the Italian Republic, through a focus on the role played by the press during a crucial passage in Italian history. The setting takes place inside the Sala della Regina inside Montecitorio Palace, the building in which the Italian Chamber of Deputies holds its plenary debates.

The exhibition highlights the interweaving of journalistic sources, the use of audiovisual material produced at the time of the testimonies of the great cultural, liberal, socialist, and Catholic traditions that participated in the political clash with a tight debate on freedom of thought and expression that would have found an effective synthesis in art. 21 of the Constitution.

The project mimics a large rotary press machine within which the visitor can travel along with the contents of the exhibition, where the images are supported by AV contents that become an integral part of the immersive experience. The set up is organized through a large platform with 4 vertical and parallel diaphragms, varying in height between 6 and 4 meters. Each diaphragm plays a significant role in the narrative content system and guides the visitor’s path through the exhibition. The space is marked by longitudinal slopes alternating with some giant posters and posters reproducing vintage materials. Many bars are arranged between the structural system crossways, supporting audio / video equipment and a series of cylinders for wrapping PVC ribbons (with a width varying from 80 to 120 cm). The ribbons describe trajectories that adapt to the environment (see the large chandeliers in the two rooms) and favor the visual views. One of these ribbons is a rear-projection screen which simulates the scrolling of newspapers in the rotary machines. The other ones in the main chamber show the words of democracy to the visitors.