Brera Academy Students to Decorate Anti-Terror Barriers in Pisa

Following a similar initiative in Florence, the city of Pisa has launched a project to transform anti-terror jersey barriers into works of art. Ten students and artists from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan, selected for their artistic skills and diverse backgrounds (China, Colombia, Japan, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Switzerland, Persia, Turkey, and Italy), will decorate the barriers under the guidance of professor Angelo Antonio Falmi. The project is organized by the Pisa municipal administration in collaboration with Pisamo and the Soprintendenza. The activity, funded by the Comune di Pisa, will take place in June and July. Students will work in groups using techniques ranging from conventional painting to street art with spray cans and airbrush. Subjects will be linked to the city's symbols and history, including the Duomo, the Leaning Tower, the Arno River, and the Chiesa della Spina. The initiative follows a previous intervention that placed artistic barriers made of spherical elements with bush-hammered stone surfaces in strategic points such as Piazza XX Settembre, Piazza Garibaldi, and the ends of Ponte di Mezzo. The Florence project, proposed by architect Stefano Boeri after the 2017 Barcelona attack, involved a call called #Florencecalling and drew criticism for not reimbursing expenses and questioning the barriers' utility. Pisa's project aims to turn symbols of terror into objects of beauty and cultural aggregation.