SHORT GUIDE - Museo delle arti in ghisa nella Maremma

20 Pages·2013·8.72 MB·English

SHORT GUIDE
THE PERMANENT EXHIBITION
The MAGMA was conceived to tell the - History, on the second floor, takes a look at the
technological, artistic and human story of the genius loci of the local district, which enabled iron
Follonica ironworks in its heyday, at the peak production to flourish here for millennia.
of its production.
- Production, on the lower-ground floor, shows
For much of the nineteenth century, the building the complex technological system used by the
housing the museum contained a state-of-the-art ironworks to smelt and cast iron.
blast furnace for smelting iron ore, known as the
Saint Ferdinand Furnace. In each thematic section, different rooms develop
The new permanent exhibition brings the and investigate specific aspects and explore
old foundry back to life with interactive and issues directly connected with the smelting and
multimedia displays arranged in three broad casting of iron.
sections, one on each floor. Using historical documents and primary evidence,
videos and reconstructions, the exhibition sheds
- Art, on the first floor, showcases the outstanding light on the complex network of interrelations
levels of specialization and sophistication spawned by the creation of this small, but historic
achieved by the Follonica Foundry. ironworks.
The MAGMA was designed and developed as a team
effort, directed by the architect Barbara Catalani
and the historian Tiziano Arrigoni, with the support
of Claudio Casini and Marica Pizzetti, and supervised
by Miria Magnolfi, director of the Biblioteca della ghisa.
1 THE DRAWING SCHOOL BOOKSHOP/TICKET OFFICE

2 THE CASTING CATALOGUE CLOAKROOM
3 MANETTI & REISHAMMER TOILETS
A BLAST FURNACE LIFT
B WATERWHEEL
C DOCUMENTATION CENTRE
D PARK GATEWAY
D
ART
First Floor
11 NATURAL RESOURCES A GHOST HALL TOILETS
22 ETRUSCAN IRON B VIDEO ROOM | LIFT

33 HUMAN RESOURCES C WORKSHOPS
44 INFLOWS AND OUTFLOWS
55 CAST IRON AROUND THE WORLD
HISTORY
Second Floor
1 INNETLO C TUHOER HE EDAERLT F OOFR TNHOE | F OUNDRY LAISFCTENSORE |
A CCAHRABROCNOIALLE S|H ED
B BMLAOCWCHININGA M SAOCFHFIINANETE |
C TBOOPC COAF DTEHLE F FOURRNNOA |CE
PRODUCTION
Lower-Ground Floor
Art
CAST IRON: ART INSTALLATION
Past the foyer, visitors are greeted with a view of
the great space that was once occupied by the blast
furnace, restored recently to the light of day in all its
material rawness.
Originally, this space looked very different. It was a
place of work, dominated by an imposing, centrally-
positioned blast furnace, over which a chimney
stood to release smoke and hot gases. In an effort
to recreate this element, a poetic vision of the
furnace has been created in the form of a central art
installation.
The cascade of metallic strips is arranged so as to sculpture glows ever more brightly until it becomes
recreate the exact dimensions of the inner chamber a white light, which then gradually dies away, from
of the furnace, and features different materials to top to bottom.
evoke the various stages of the smelting process. The four walls of the room feature the ghostly
The red strips at the bottom allude to the firing silhouettes of people busy at work on the furnace.
stage; the central strips evoke the furnace’s load of Giant silhouettes alternate with man-size figures,
iron ore, alternated with layers of charcoal; and the representing the shadows of the workers, distorted
transparent strips at the top symbolize the smoke and by the incandescent glow of molten iron. Whilst the
hot gases that rose skyward from the chimney. sculpture symbolizes the old furnace, the four walls
The temporary closure of the skylight signals the are dedicated to the work of human beings and the
start of a process that periodically transforms and value of what it creates—a value which transforms
brings to life the installation. The room is filled with the foundryman’s trade into an art form.
the unmistakable roar of a blast furnace and the Suddenly, a white-hot stream of molten iron begins to
sculpture begins to glow. As the sound intensifies, the pour down the front wall and the other walls become
Art
PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES
The images that appear after the casting
experience are the works of photographers
Maurizio Martinozzi and Antonio Presta. Martinozzi
focuses his lens on the artistic detail and material
depth of cast iron, accentuating its monumental
capacities from a staggering perspective. Presta
instead captures the breathtaking beauty of the
Follonica district in his spectacular panoramic
incandescent. Now we are standing inside a virtual shots, emphasizing the contrast between the
mould being cast with molten iron. The white-hot forests and the adjacent sea.
liquid fills out the entire space and then begins
to cool down, turning red and becoming darker
and darker.
Shapes slowly begin to appear on the walls, as though
imprisoned beneath the iron. Cracks form and bits
of material fall away. As the cracks spread, what has
been cast progressively comes to view. It is the city
of Follonica.
Art
THE DRAWING SCHOOL. THE CASTING CATALOGUE.
MANETTI & REISHAMMER
The exhibition opens on the first floor with a selection largely exemplified, and sometimes even anticipated,
of elaborate wooden patterns, representing part of the the international styles of the age, making extensive
collection which is the true wealth of the MAGMA. use of cast iron in structural elements, while also
The pattern collection is a unique legacy of Italy’s exploring its great expressive potential in decorative
ironworking heritage. Designed and sculpted by true features.
artists, the patterns were used to shape the sand The church and gates thus became a very visible
moulds in which molten iron was cast. statement of the production capacities of the
The School of Linear and Ornamental Drawing Follonica Foundry, paving the way for a season of
was established in Follonica at the behest of Grand major works, such as those commissioned for Livorno
Duke Leopold II, whose plan it was to transform the and Florence.
Maremma ironworks into a leading centre of research
and development, not only in technical production,
but also in artistic brilliance.
The result of all this was the sophisticated production
of fine cast-iron urban furniture, which continued for
over a century. In 1913, those wares were collected
into a major Casting Catalogue.
The most important result, however, was the highly
original and early pieces produced for Saint Leopold’s
Church and for the foundry’s own monumental gates.
To develop this remarkable architectural project, two
leading nineteenth century figures were called on:
Alessandro Manetti and Carlo Reishammer.
Their successful partnership produced works which
Art
SAINT LEOPOLD’S IN 3D
A virtual, three-dimensional model shows Saint
Leopold’s Church and its steeple, which can be
viewed down to the finest detail and explored
inside through a floor plan.
A multimedia console lets visitors select,
enlarge and explore individual architectural and
decorative elements made of cast iron.
Select one of the image maps to explore the
THE HANDS OF THE PATTERNMAKER 3D model in detail and access information and
The old wooden workbench was donated by the photographs of the element in its architectural
Franchi Giuggioli family. On it are displayed context, and enjoy the otherwise impossible
some of the original tools used by Follonica’s close-up view of the decorative features of
patternmakers and mould makers. Gouges, the church.
mallets and vices appear to have just been put
down, possibly for a quick, meagre bite to eat in
the factory. Now the patternmaker returns to his
tools and, as we watch, his hands sculpt a small
wooden pattern. They are the hands of Giuliano
Zacchini, which a zenithal projection shows busy
at the workbench, just like in the olden days
at the foundry.
History
NATURAL RESOURCES. ETRUSCAN IRON
The MAGMA tour continues on the second floor be understood via the complex interrelations that tie
with the section dedicated to history. Here the it to the local territory. How did Follonica, despite
exhibition focuses on Follonica’s local resources being located in such an insalubrious and sparsely
and the interconnected flows of energy sources, raw populated territory, become a leading ironworking
materials, humans and technologies that kept the centre as early as the sixteenth century?
ironworks running. The first reason was because of its strategic proximity
The success of an industrial establishment can only to the precious haematite mines on the island of Elba.
The second was because of the wealth of woodland
surrounding the gulf. And finally, it was because of
the abundance of water in the area, providing the
indispensable flow of energy needed to power the
foundry.
These geographical advantages were first exploited
by the Etruscans. The exhibition, therefore, dedicates
a section to the Etruscan archaeological finds in
Rondelli and the Petraia Valley, which reveal how iron
smelting was already happening here in the sixth
century BC.
The archaeology section focuses on Etruscan
ironworking and the central role that the Gulf of
Follonica played for this civilization. The diorama of
Rondelli’s ancient bloomeries reconstructs the ancient
techniques used to smelt Elba’s iron ore.