Giacomo Zaganelli Launches Open-Source Map of Usable Art Projects Across Italy

Artist Giacomo Zaganelli (born Florence, 1983) has launched AGIRE INTERAGIRE INTERFERIRE / Mapparchivio dei progetti usabili, a new georeferenced, open-source database mapping publicly accessible art and cultural projects across Italy. The initiative follows his earlier Mappa dell'abbandono, which catalogued abandoned spaces in Florence and Tuscany and has received over 1.5 million visits on Google Maps, also being included on MoMA New York's 'uneven-growth' platform. The new map focuses on 'usable' projects such as temporary and permanent gardens, seating, tables, urban forests, playgrounds, functional devices, and digital archives. Anyone can contribute via an online form. The project builds on Zaganelli's research L'artista per la collettività, launched in 2022 with support from the Italian Council (Ministry of Culture) and institutions in Italy, Germany, Japan, and Thailand. Presented at Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan on May 16, 2024, the map has already surpassed 2,000 views and received numerous contributions. Examples include Giardino Eolico at UMoCa in Colle Val d'Elsa, Dna by Motorefisico in Santa Croce di Magliano (Molise), Alle Ortiche hub in Genoa, ForPeople urban furniture by Mario Cucinella in Rho, and NWRZ workshop at Circolo Culturale Ararat at the former slaughterhouse in Rome. The project aims to trace new exchanges between art, society, and citizenship, exploring the artist's role in the community.