Ugo La Pietra's referendum on Milan's bollards at Galleria Bianconi

Ugo La Pietra, an artist, architect, and designer born in 1938 in Bussi sul Tirino, presents the exhibition 'La città domestica' at Galleria Bianconi in Milan, running until December 20, 2019. Curated by Marco Scotini, the show focuses on La Pietra's late-1970s works exploring the concept of 'inhabiting,' the relationship between personal and urban dimensions, and the political nature of urban space. The exhibition features a series of urban fixtures collected from Milan since 1979, transformed into domestic objects under the principle 'Abitare è essere ovunque a casa propria,' subverting public and private space. On November 29, 2019, at 6 PM, La Pietra will perform 'Il miglior dissuasore' (The Best Bollard), a referendum where attendees vote on the best bollard among 18 types found on Milan's streets, including 'a supposta,' 'a lapide,' 'con Cappello,' 'a ponte,' 'Design Italiano,' 'Panettone,' and 'Botero.' The performance uses traditional voting methods like posters and ballots to simulate a political referendum, critiquing the lack of unified urban design and cultural planning in Milan. La Pietra argues that Milan lacks a true cultural project, with the Salone del Mobile being the only significant cultural event, which is insufficient for a city's cultural strategy.