| Popis: |
In the spring of 2015, more than 500 years after Livorno was founded, the association Livorno delle diversità – set up in 2014 with the objective of spreading the idea that respect for diversity is an essential condition of everyday life - addressed an urban problem relating to the city’s past and present. This led to the association organising a competition for the best artistic ideas for the development of a port area through the installation of a work of art in the port of Livorno. This installation was intended to provide a reminder of the importance of diversity as an essential condition of everyday life, to promote the notion of institutional secularism, and to pay tribute to the city's tradition of hospitality. The city was founded by the Medici family from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in the 16th century. The ambition at the time was to build a cosmopolitan city, the idea being that the coexistence of people of different nationalities with different languages and religions would facilitate the influx of visitors and boost trade. Livorno has always based its economy on the presence of the port. The request by the association made to the port authorities to place the installation there bears witness to the continued importance of the port. This competition brought together different local actors such as the port authorities, town hall representatives, local associations, the guild of architects, and the inhabitants; all of whom are stakeholders concerned by the issues of integration, cohabitation and, more generally, the interrelations between the port and the city. The competition allowed the inhabitants to directly take part in the selection of the winning project through a consultation procedure. The project, which is still in progress, should facilitate city-port integration and integrate essential factors fostering cohabitation. |
