Incompiuto Siciliano

Incompiuto Siciliano turns ten. During all these years we have described the phenomenon of unfinished public works in Italy from a new perspective. The ongoing work of research, mapping and study (more than 750 works on the whole Italian territory, 350 in Sicily) has led to the definition of a new architectural style: the Incompiuto.

We see the entire ‘national system of unfinished works’ as a material witness to the current socio-cultural context that permeates everyday life, and we propose a definition as a new Style that will return its contents from multiple points of view.

  We want to demonstrate how the unfinished is not just a label within which to forcibly enclose a heterogeneous set of works, but rather a real theoretical model, capable of recognizing, identifying, and even to a certain extent predicting the configuration of a work or a system of unfinished works already built or in the process of becoming. Unfinished works appear to us as sites of collective memory yet to be investigated. Born as ruins and produced by a compressed time, they are architectural works that shape our landscape. The definition of an architectural style indeed makes it possible to identify an interpretative paradigm of a phenomenon present throughout the national territory, and in particular in the Sicilian one, typical of the ‘70s-‘80s, but which is possible to trace from WWII up to today; a tool for interpreting the recent history of our country.

Attributing an artistic and architectural significance to the Incompiuto means devising another way to read these sites, recognizing the unfinished works as resources for the territory. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Incompiuto Siciliano we would like to publish a book entitled: ”Incompiuto – The Birth of a Style.” The first extensive documentation and photo catalog of all the unfinished works in Italy. A ‘Grand Tour’ between these contemporary ruins, the wonders of the Incompiuto style. To achieve our goal we have decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign. A month and a half, from 17 April to 31 May, during which we will travel around Italy to document the unfinished works and meet the organizations that are working on the Incompiuto across the country.

Incompiuto Siciliano is a project by Alterazioni Video with Claudia D’Aita and Enrico Sgarbi. Established in 2009, Incompiuto Siciliano elaborates, autonomously or on behalf of public institutions and private structures, studies and research, feasibility studies and projects on unfinished public works. Incompiuto – La Nascita di uno Stile is curated by Alterazioni Video, Fosbury Architecture and Antonio Laruffa in collaboration with Eugenia Rolando.