Ugo La Pietra on Research, Synesthesia, and the Aesthetic Operator

In an interview with Artribune, Italian artist, architect, and designer Ugo La Pietra discusses his multidisciplinary practice, which he describes as anthropological research into human behavior and its relationship with environment and space. He distinguishes his approach from traditional art-making by starting from external stimuli rather than internal ideas. La Pietra emphasizes the concept of synesthesia among the arts, which he discovered in 1962, as a method of entering and practicing different disciplines without being limited to one. He introduces the notion of the 'aesthetic operator,' an artist who works for the social sphere by stepping back from personal expression to help people re-establish a relationship with their environment. His projects, such as 'Il desiderio dell'oggetto' and 'Decodificazione dell'ambiente,' aim to decode imposed desires and reveal underlying realities. La Pietra also discusses the film 'La grande occasione' (1973), which critiques the cultural marginalization of artists in Italy. He reconciles conceptualism and spectacle, citing the labyrinth as an example of both. The interview covers his teaching methodology, which focuses on local resources and making urban spaces habitable, and his view that art can foster a more direct connection with nature in an age of virtuality.