The Municipality of Palermo, in collaboration with the Agenzia del Demanio (State Property Agency), has promoted a redevelopment operation of the Ex-Chemistry Arenella complex, in the district of the same name, through the C40 reinventing cities platform, an initiative created to stimulate urban regeneration operations through a competition that rewards both the business and architectural dimensions of the project.
The Ex-Chimica Arenella is a strategic location for urban regeneration in Palermo because of its scale, its strategic position on the sea, the architectural quality of the buildings and their industrial history, but also because of its social role in a complex area such as the Arenella seaside district.
The curatorial team of :AFTER wants to make a contribution to the transformation process of such a delicate and strategic place for Palermo by stimulating further reflection and a public debate on the project.
Echoing Hans Ulrich Obrist’s Serpentine marathon format, :After is dedicating a marathon of transdisciplinary reflections on environmental, social and spatial issues, inviting architects, artists, local and international activists to reflect on the Arenella transformation project and possible political, entrepreneurial and social models for transforming public space, starting from current European experiences.
Project supported by Assessorato del turismo dello sport e dello spettacolo.
:AFTER is a project by Pietro Airoldi, Lisa Andreani, Jacopo Costanzo (WAR), Zeno Franchini (Marginal), Francesca Gattello (Marginal), Valeria Guerrisi (WAR), Izabela Anna Moren (Fondazione Studio Rizoma) invented to explore and interrogate the last and next 100 years of architecture in Sicily. Elena Catalano has joined the team in 2024. The first edition of :AFTER. Festival Diffuso di Architettura in Sicilia took place from 22 to 29 April 2023 in various locations in Sicily.
Michalski&Wagner is an architecture studio founded in 2016 by Martha Michalski and Marco Wagner. Their work relies on the dialogue with local craftsmen, on the discovery of the potential available techniques, materials and tools to reinvent construction procedures and applications together. Their projects are thought as prototypes or as an experimental approach, in close and emphatic collaborations. The studio is active together with local foundations and initiatives to empower the discussion about perspectives of participation in the urban development of the city of Palermo.