OMA's Palermo Atlas unveiled as Manifesta 12 creative mediator

Manifesta 12 has commissioned OMA to produce Palermo Atlas, an interdisciplinary study of Palermo that will serve as the foundation for the 2018 nomadic biennale. Presented at Teatro Garibaldi alla Kalsa, the project analyzes the city's evolving character through architecture, archaeology, anthropology, archival research, and personal histories. OMA partner Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli described Palermo as a 'global archipelago' and a hub connecting sub-Saharan Africa, Scandinavia, Southeast Asia, Gibraltar, and the Americas. This marks the first time Manifesta has invited an architecture firm as creative mediator, aiming to ensure a lasting impact beyond the biennale. Mayor Leoluca Orlando and culture assessor Andrea Cusumano joined Manifesta director Hedwig Fijen and Pestellini Laparelli in presenting the study, which will inform the curatorial proposal by creative mediators Bregtje van der Haak, Andrés Jaque, and Mirjam Varadinis.