Case Capanon

(September 2024)

In Northern Italy lies the Padan Plain, or "Pianura Padana," a region that is one of the most important industrial and agricultural areas in Europe. The land stretches flat for miles, with distant mountains on the horizon, while factories, warehouses, machinery, cement, and metal dominate the immediate landscape.

I recently met a group of friends living in one of these warehouses (shhh, don’t tell anyone—it’s technically not legal). What used to be a reception area is now their kitchen and living room, while the upstairs offices have become their bedrooms. The cavernous warehouse space is now their “studio”.

Brilliant.

One’s a mechanic, another works with cement, and the third is a developer. The result is an eclectic mix of projects scattered everywhere. With their shared interests and hobbies —and the fact that they’re all in their early to mid-twenties—the warehouse has become a bit of a social hub.

My dear friend Mary (who’s Mamma is Mamma Floria) introduced me to this place and obviously, I was immediately captivated by the situation. The guys are really nice and were very happy to let me paint wherever I liked with whatever materials we could find — including children’s washable tempera, metallic spray paints (which refused to stick to the cement walls and made quite a mess), matte spray paint, chalk paint, and acrylic. It soon became a bit of a chaotic social activity, anyone who wanted participate was welcome to leave their mark on the walls.

Then, over a few days, I layered a key line over the shapes and transformed them into flowers (except the serpent, that was too good to be touched).

Even in factories, things can Bloom :)

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