“A spasso con l’arte”. The podcasts dedicated to the Olivetti artworks in Ivrea

Today, we presented in the Council Chamber of the Municipality of Ivrea the project “A spasso con l’arte. Opere Olivetti a Ivrea” The initiative aims to enhance Olivetti’s cultural legacy and the UNESCO site by promoting a pedestrian and cycling route to discover some artworks in the city of Ivrea. It emphasizes the collective and public value of art.

The project, realized through a competition that secured a contribution from the City of Ivrea, represents another step in the valorization of the Olivetti artistic heritage. It is connected to the exhibition program held between 2021 and 2023 by the Historical Archive Olivetti Association and the Civic Museum “P.A. Garda” of Ivrea in collaboration with the Municipality of Ivrea, Olivetti S.p.A., and TIM S.p.A. Additionally, it serves as a tourism and cultural enhancement for Ivrea, città industriale del XX secolo UNESCO site.

The project targets diverse audiences, including schools, tourists, families, and corporate groups, to expand the opportunity to freely appreciate artworks in the urban contextIt provides a chance to rediscover cultural assets closely tied to Olivetti’s history, offering moments to engage with beauty.

The idea emerged from a scientific cooperation agreement betweenthe Historical Archive Olivetti Association and the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Turin This collaboration led to the reconstruction of the history of some artworks in the Eporedian territory, producing descriptive cards for these works (especially the work by Giulia Genova on Alejandro Otero’s Solar Structure presented in 2021). Building on this, a historical research project was initiated in the archives and library of the Association, combining culture and technology: a geolocated podcast itinerary allowing passersby, tourists, citizens, or visitors to listen to a brief narrative about the artwork (in Italian, English, and French) via the LOQUIS app.

The LOQUIS platform and its free application are Italian projects that serve as repositories of cultural tourism narratives, offering short travel podcasts to tell the story of the territory. The audio files can be listened to on-site using the app or remotely through the digital platform.

The identified and narrated artworks include Marcello Nizzoli’s bas-relief (1961) and Andrea Cascella’s sculpture (1960) at the entrance of Olivetti Offices Building 1 in Via Guglielmo Jervis 77; Sandro Cherchi’s sculpture (1963) on the ground floor and visible from outside at Villa Casana in Via Miniere 31; Mirko Basaldella’s statue of Camillo Olivetti (1948) in the Salone dei 2000 in Via Jervis 11; Emilio Greco’s monument to Camillo Olivetti (1957) on Corso Nigra; Alejandro Otero’s “Solar Structure” (1977) in Via Primo Levi.