Heart-Shaped Box: Urban Regeneration at Follonica's Ex-Ilva

Follonica's Officina delle Idee has been selected among 34 projects funded by the regional Toscanaincontemporanea 2016 call, which allocates 500,000 euros for cultural site requalification and network creation. Curated by Karin Gavassa, the project includes an exhibition (until October 2) and urban interventions by artists Matteo "Ufocinque" Capobianco and Opiemme, titled Heart-Shaped Box. The initiative focuses on regenerating the ex-Ilva industrial area, a former steel complex whose restored foundries now house the multidisciplinary cultural hub Museo Magma, Teatro Fonderia Leopolda, and two reclaimed spaces (Fonderia Uno and Carbonile). The itinerary begins in the historic center at Pinacoteca Civica with Ufocinque's "foresta urbana" and Opiemme's new large-format Vortex canvases, then moves to the ex-Ilva area with Opiemme's light installation and stencil verse on the Museo Magma facade. The route culminates on September 30 with talks and a roundtable discussion on urban regeneration. The project builds on previous interventions in the Parco Nazionale delle Colline Metallifere.