'The imaginary city' by Raffaele Salvoldi
Publication date: 06.11.2025
“The imaginary city” is a temporary, traveling installation designed to bring people together and evoke emotions in cultural spaces. It represents an imaginary skyline of a city with monumental shapes, made up of tens of thousands of Kapla wooden blocks, placed one on top of the other without the use of glue or joints, laid carefully one by one by the artist’s patient hands.
The installation is always site-specific, created on the spot in harmony with the surrounding space, each time in different size and shape, under the eyes of the public who can interact with the artist. The ephemeral nature of these works also contributes to the project’s sustainability, allowing the materials to be reused for different pieces, thus limiting potential waste.
The deeper meaning of this art form lies in the final event, which is the demolition of the artwork (where possible) by the public or through a domino effect. The artist’s goal is to make us reflect on the impermanence of beauty, creating a parallel with the architectural heritage where the work is inserted, or with nature itself, reminding the viewer of the importance of working to slow down and counteract this process as much as possible.
