‘whatami’ by stARTT at the MAXXI museum, rome images courtesy of MAXXI rome

now open to the public is ‘whatami’, a temporary installation by roman architectural practice stARTT. the project, situated within the piazza of zaha hadid’s MAXXI museum in rome, is a collateral event of MoMA PS1’s young architects program now in its 12th year in new york city. taking place for the first time in italy, the installation sees the museum’s external spaces transformed into a garden of undulating green islands peppered with abstract, poppy-red sculptures. scheduled to host a series of summer events, the artificial landscape develops a unique public environment where individuals can relax and contemplate the sinuous lines of hadid’s now-iconic structure.

stARTT: whatami at the MAXXI 18 flower-like sculptures among the mobile islands

an archipelago of eight individual islands is built on a mobile structure of straw bales covered in astroturf. the central island, measuring two meters in height is fixed in place, while seven smaller pods are mounted on wheels. shaded by day and illuminated at night by eighteen-five-meter-tall fiberglass flowers, the constructed environment aims to be as attractive as it is attentive to environmental issues. on october 16, 2011, when the installation is dismantled its materials will be donated to the city where they will be used again.

stARTT: whatami at the MAXXI the flowers and the islands range in size and shape

stARTT: whatami at the MAXXI night view

stARTT: whatami at the MAXXI construction at night

stARTT: whatami at the MAXXI rendering

stARTT: whatami at the MAXXI rendering

stARTT: whatami at the MAXXI diagram of site

stARTT: whatami at the MAXXI diagram