Museums have become key public spaces that, beyond hosting exhibitions, promote debates and dynamic activities for a wide variety of publics.
Judy Wajcman
Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE)
Interview available here
A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing.
26th ICOM General Conference, Prague, 24 August 2022
In 2019, City Space Architecture, in collaboration with Genius Saeculi, a company operating in the field of Digital Humanities, founded Museo Spazio Pubblico (Public Space Museum) as a transdisciplinary practice dedicated to exploring the multifaceted nature of public space. The Museum hosts lectures, debates, exhibitions, workshops, laboratories, special events, and artistic performances, fostering dialogue between research and practice.
Museo Spazio Pubblico serves as a hub for research and residency programs, educational initiatives, and high-level meetings, while supporting community engagement and fostering multicultural and intergenerational exchanges on public space, from a global perspective.
Museo Spazio Pubblico was conceived and designed by Dr Luisa Bravo, founder and president of City Space Architecture, during the COVID‑19 pandemic as the adaptive reuse and transformation of a former suburban neighbourhood supermarket. It officially opened to the public on 14 May 2021.
The Museum’s main room features a site-specific artwork by renowned contemporary Italian artist Flavio Favelli. His ceiling fresco, Raffaello 500, depicts on a monumental scale (3.62 × 9.25 meters) the 500,000 Italian lira banknote bearing the portrait of Raffaello Sanzio, celebrated by critics as Italy’s most spiritual artist. This artwork lends a distinctive and permanent identity to the Museum, enriching the spatial experience through imagination and poetic allure.
Visiting Scholars and Visitors (2021-)
Flavio Favelli (Italy)
Lorenzo Balbi, MAMbo Museum of Modern Art Bologna (Italy)
Claudio Musso, Accademia G. Carrara di Belle Arti di Bergamo (Italy)
Carlo Branzaglia, IED Milan, (Italy)
Johannes Riegler, Driving Urban Transitions (Austria)
Bram Dewolfs, Urban Foxes (Belgium)
Rozina Spinnoy, BIDs Belgium (Belgium)
Martijn de Waal, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands)
Elisabet Goula, CCCB Centre for Contemporary Culture Barcelona (Spain)
Justin Hyatt, Carfree Cities Alliance (Spain)
Jorge Raúl Zapata Restrepo, Fundació Blanquerna – Universitat Ramon Llull (Spain)
Husam Al Waer, University of Dundee (United Kingdom)
Alejandro Gutierrez, Arup (United Kingdom)
Jacek Ludwig Scarso, London Metropolitan University (United Kingdom)
Fiona Hillary, RMIT University (Australia)
Quentin Stevens, RMIT University (Australia)
Greg Mews, University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia)
Nathalie Boucher, Organisme Respire (Canada)
Andrew Pask, City of Vancouver (Canada)
Katharine Rankin, University of Toronto (Canada)
Cherie Enns, University of the Fraser Valley (Canada)
Kirstin Miller, Ecocity Builders (USA)
Allison Arieff, MIT Technology Review (USA)
John Bela, Bela Urbanism (USA)
Robin Abad Ocubillo, City of Oakland (USA)
Ilaria Salvadori, City of San Francisco (USA)
Ryan Smolar, PlacemakingUS (USA)
Carolyn Sponza, Gensler (USA)
Shruti Shankar, Studio One Eleven (USA)
Kevin Hsu, MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)
Davisi Boontharm, co+re place (Thailand)
Hendrik Tieben, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong SAR)
Dhanya Rajagopal, Placemaking India (India)
Akitaka Suzuki, Keio University (Japan)
Darko Radovic, Keio University (Japan)
Beng Kiang Tan, National University of Singapore (Singapore)
Min Jay Kang, National Taiwan University (Taiwan)
WHERE
The Public Space Museum is located in Bologna, in the Porto Saragozza neighbourhood, at the west end of via Saragozza, near the well-known Arco del Meloncello, where the portico leads up to the famous Sanctuary of San Luca, a historical landmark on top of a hill. In 2021, the porticoes of Bologna were included by UNESCO in the World Heritage List, as an expression and element of Bologna’s urban identity.
The Public Space Museum sits in a quiet neighbourhood, very rich in terms of heritage and natural landscape, with several villas and public parks, such as the public Villa delle Rose, managed by the Museum of Modern Art (MAMbo); the public Villa Spada, owned by the Municipality; and the private Villa Benni, used for social gatherings and events. The Museum is within walking distance of about twenty-five minutes from the main square Piazza Maggiore, in the city centre.
CONTACT
Museo Spazio Pubblico / Public Space Museum
via Eugenio Curiel 13/d
40134 Bologna, ITALY
www.museospaziopubblico.it
info@museospaziopubblico.it
Press and commercial enquiries
For general enquiries, please email info@genius-saeculi.com
T/F +39 051 614 2934
M +39 331 417 3672