Circostanze Urbane: Fabrizio Milani's Urban Circus in Milan

On October 19, 2018, from 6 PM to 11 PM, artist Fabrizio Milani and curator Simona La Neve staged a one-night public performance in Milan's via Gola, the first act of their ongoing project Circostanze Urbane. After eight months of interviews and meetings with over 50 residents (via the informal group Occupiamoci di via Gola) and workshops with over 20 children (cared for by Spazio Aperto Servizi società cooperativa sociale ONLUS), they transformed a mobile vendor van into a semi-permanent circus tent. The installation featured vertical striped draperies, intermittent lights, and a tensile structure made from fabric drawings using acrylic and paraffin techniques. The event included a DJ set and free refreshments at Bridge Bar, aiming to foster informal art for a community facing evictions, drug dealing, unemployment, and logistical issues. La Neve described the project as addressing the fear of crossing the street in a complex neighborhood, while Milani's work engaged with Gadamer's concept of 'play without sense.' The curators view the circus tent as a primordial place of shelter, linking the birth of cities to the circus and seeing via Gola as a symbol of how temporality clashes with profitable stability.