1979

‘ESPONE  1979’

international exposition of Prato's textile industry – graphic design on the city streets

A graphic design project was proposed as part of the exhibition “Prato Espone 79 primavera-estate”, which took place inside the Palazzo delle Mercature in via Valentini in April 1979.

A series of brightly-colored stripes were painted on the surface of the road, leading from the horizontal traffic signs in the surrounding area to the expo venue. The result was like many colorful threads of Ariadne unwinding through the city streets.

Even the people who were not interested in the textile trade were caught up in and oriented towards the exhibition site.

The realization of the project required the use of a special kind of paint with a particularly high matteric density that was also able to completely dissappear two weeks after the event.

For the inside of the expo venue, a composition of yellow and orange fabric panels was hung.

Here, too, the alternative use of the Chamber of Commerce headquarters allowed the structure to transform its appearance for one week. The building was changed into a large expo center via the realization of offices, desks, bars, telephone lines, terminals, conference rooms, and exhibition stands.

It exemplified the happy exchange of functions and experiences in a building conceived to carry out other functions.

This particular experience can also be cited today in an interesting debate on the  alternative uses for existing structures and on the strong economic and social implications engendered by this new use.