Mario Mariotti's 1980 Projection Event Transforms Florence's Santo Spirito Basilica

In 1980, Florentine artist Mario Mariotti organized 'Piazza della Palla,' a public art event in Florence's Piazza Santo Spirito. He projected over two hundred imaginative designs onto the unfinished facade of the Basilica of Santo Spirito, collected through an open competition. The basilica, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and built between 1444 and 1487, never received a permanent facade, making it an ideal canvas for temporary, ephemeral interventions. Mariotti, who lived in the Oltrarno neighborhood, aimed to engage local residents and create a collective artwork. The projected images ranged from abstract patterns to figurative transformations, with prints later archived at the nearby Caffè Ricchi. The initiative was revived in 2008 by architecture students and contrasted with later videomapping spectacles for its community-driven, participatory approach.