Riportare in vigore
la semplicità della
memoria e ristabilire
il giusto ordine
delle cose
Restore the simplicity
of memory and
re-establish the right
order of things
JEAN MICHEL WILMOTTE
Bar Joséphine, Hotel Lutetia, Paris
Lampadario Vistosi / Chandelier by Vistosi,
Hotel Lutetia, Paris
Plafoniera Poliform / Ceiling light by Poliform,
Salon Ernest, Hotel Lutetia, Paris
furnishings, etc.), collecting his six decades
long chronological production since 1925, and,
laterally, to develop two other themes
accessible through several openings.
In the first wing we find those that have been
his collaborations, objects and different artistic
expressions (Richard Ginori, Domus, glasses,
drawings...), and in the last section, or the
“period rooms” that put things into reality,
scale installations of his finest houses. The
project is very simple; ultimately, we show all
his work and it is an educational exhibition.
You cannot get out of it without having
understood Ponti!
The large perforated wall that welcomes us as
soon as we climb the imposing entrance
staircase is a clear reference to the Cathedral
of Taranto. Why this choice?
I absolutely wanted an echo of Taranto. I wanted
to put the lacework of the cathedral of Taranto
because I wanted something strong, something
that people could discover, since many people do
not know it. I wanted a perforated frame through
which the light could make its entry into the
main hall. It is a writing that no other architect
has ever reused since 1970, and I wanted it to be
a mark of recognition.
Are you aware of the condition of the Taranto
Cathedral today?
Yes, it is in a very bad state. But with my
Foundation (Wilmotte Foundation, ed.) in
Venice, Fondamenta dell’Abbazia, Cannaregio,
we have an on-going exhibition in support of
the cathedral called “Gio Ponti. Sacrée Lumière!
Una cattedrale e quattro chiese. Fotografie di
Luca Massari”, open until January 27th, whose
theme is precisely the Cathedral of Taranto.
Having made a lot of exhibition designs, all in
important museums and foundations around
the world, do you think there is a big difference
between the public and the private ones?
Let’s just say that in private museums, like the
MAD in Paris, there is a little more independence,
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compared to the long bureaucratic forms of
relations with the institutions that must be
addressed in public projects.
How does the light element influence your
work, and how important is it to you?
Whatever place we are facing, even the most
difficult or less beautiful, can become sublime if
we know how to orchestrate the light element.
Light is one of the most important things we
have. Light is life.
How do you use artificial and natural light? How
does your approach to the project change?
To answer this, I start by telling you that I value
having a lot of space, because the more you
have, the more light can enter. Space is inhabited
by light, whether natural or artificial. And that’s
why I put light sources near the openings looking
on the outside, to find the point of liason
between artificial and natural, so that the lights
can blend smoothly and without interruption. In
all my building sites, the lights are near the
windows to create this union.
Which project do you think of as being successful
in this liason?
Light can reveal something, create an atmosphere,
or emphasize a material, and it can radically
change the perception of a place. We can reveal
and narrate everything with light. For example,
for the Beijing institution of contemporary art, the
Ullens Center Contemporary Art (UCCA), we created
a system for which the transition from day to
night is barely perceptible. When the external
light becomes evanescent, artificial light takes
over quietly so as not to affect and alter the
visitor’s vision.
Has technology contributed to the development
of your profession?
Lighting has evolved dramatically with the arrival
of sophisticated technology, but I do not think
that it is definitely better today than before. We
do not have any “punctual” lights as we used to,
but we are almost there.