Margherita Moscardini's Za'atari Fountain Installed in Reggio Emilia

A new public fountain by Margherita Moscardini, titled The Fountains of Za'atari, has been installed in Parco Alcide Cervi in Reggio Emilia, Italy, thanks to its acquisition by Collezione Maramotti. The work was inaugurated during the Fotografia Europea 2019 festival. The fountain is part of a larger project that began in the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan, where Moscardini conducted site visits between 2017 and 2018. She mapped the camp's courtyard fountains, which are built from rudimentary materials like stones, cement, and washing machine motors, and serve as social hubs. The fountain in Reggio Emilia, made of Carrara marble, is a replica of fountain n°32 from the camp, featuring a decagonal base and an inclined plane that reproduces the courtyard's topography. The project aims to create a virtuous cycle where municipalities acquire these fountain sculptures, directly benefiting the original refugee designers. Moscardini also seeks to give these objects a special jurisdiction akin to international waters, free from state sovereignty, as a response to geopolitical changes that create stateless people. The exhibition at Collezione Maramotti includes videos and documents explaining the project, and runs until July 28, 2019.