Michelangelo Pistoletto's 100 Benches for Rome Project

Michelangelo Pistoletto's iconic Third Paradise symbol comes to Rome through the '100 Benches for Rome' project, presented in a center-periphery dynamic first at Piazza di Siena (date TBD) and then at the Gabi Archaeological Area during the Festival of the Suburbs on May 21-23, 2021. Conceived at the Rebirth Forum Rome 2019 and developed by Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto, the initiative involves private donors adopting 100 benches made of recycled and recyclable plastic, used to construct the Third Paradise symbol. In a second phase, benches will be distributed across Rome, activating a participatory project engaging the local community and schools. Each bench will bear the donor's name, with tracking via www.100panchineperroma.org, Facebook, and Instagram. Pistoletto states, 'A chair can be occupied by one person, so a chair is not democratic. A bench can hold multiple people, therefore it is democratic.' He introduces 'Demopraxia' (from Greek praxis replacing cratos) as the art of uniting individuals for collective power. Adoption costs €500; the 101st bench will be raffled among 1,000 tickets at €1 each. Partners include Civitan Club Roma, IILA, RAM radioartemobile, RIF Museo delle Periferie, Galleria Continua, Zerynthia, Galleria Mucciaccia, Osservatorio Socialis, M'AMA.ART, Associazione Amici del Tevere, M'AMA.SEEDS, Artivazione, and Decano Viaggi.