48nodi's tightrope walker installation forces visitors to walk the line

48nodi’s tightrope walker installation forces visitors to walk the line
all images courtesy of francesco lillo, laura crespi

this year’s paesaggi mirati/studi aperti festival — curated by elena bertinotti — focuses on the development of projects on the topic of social utopia. young architects laura crespi and corinne gallotti of studio 48nodi were invited to participate in the event. their project, ‘tightrope walker’ interprets social utopia as the utopia of balance.

five skylight bottles bring sunlight into the interior 

the installation takes form as a cabin with external walls made of 480 transparent plastic bottles. through a light-blocking curtain, five small ‘suns’ break the darkness. clear bottles, like the exterior, hang downwards from the ceiling — half inside, half out. each is filled with water. under each, hung by nylon string is a small glass gar that holds a germinating plant.

the structure is created with 480 plastic bottles 

here, is where the ‘tightrope’ walking begins. the visitor’s task is to feed the plant when necessary by squeezing the bottle; which in turn, drips down into the corresponding jar. the more water used to feed the plant, the emptier the bottle becomes, leaving less water to reflect the crucial light source. each visitor serves as the ‘tightrope walker’, suspended between the need to illuminate and nourish the plant. 

visitors at ‘tightrope walker’  

the project was created by laura crespi and corinne gallotti

detail of plants 

water is the most crucial element of the installation 

Tightrope_photo by Laura Crespi

structure without curtain 

the installation is installed in the city of ameno, northeast italy 

back of ‘tightrope walker ‘ 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: nick brink | designboom