Italian Cultural Institute in collaboration with Fondazione Franco Albini and Oris House of Architecture is pleased to invite you to the exhibition The Essence of Form – Franco Albini’s projects and to the theatre show The Courage of One’s Own Time – the people and the values of the Modern Movement on Tuesday, 8 of November at 6 pm at Oris House of Architecture.

This theatre show is about people who changed Italy, its image and styles of life by means of architecture. It is about modern architecture in Italy during the Fascist era, about curiosity, experiment, the fight for the freedom of thought and professional ethics.

This theater show tells a story about the birth of modern architecture and the lives of people who fought for the establishment of the Liberation Movement.

Paola Albini has designed, written and directed the story about the values specific for the Modern Movement and the point of departure of design as a discipline.

The main theme was borrowed from the work La Gibigianna by Maria Brandon Albini (Franco Albini’s sister), which looks at the interwar Italy and the intellectuals of the time, while using the writings of Albini, Giuseppe Pagano, Edoardo Persico, BBPR, Gio Ponti, Mario Palenti, Ignazio Gardella, Raffaello Giolli and many others: letters, articles and publications from various archives supported by different video materials and photography.

This is a story about the Rationalism in Italy, about the central role of the city of Milan with all of those men and women who fought for the independent and unrestrained decision making, which sometimes implied sacrificing one’s own life.

The words interpreted by Enrico Ballardi are intertwined with the songs: Gaber, Jannacci, Stehler, Silvestri, Turchi and De André and the improvisations of maestro Alessando Nidi (who collaborated with the artists such as Jannacci, Max Gazzè, Elio de Le Storie Tese, Battiato and many others).

Enrico Ballardini – actor
Alessandro Nidi – pianist/composer

Free Admission