Ricerche e proposte per il Progetto Cultura Materiale - Provincia di ...

Ecomuseum of the Hemp Processing Trade
RESEARCH GROUP: Emanuele Levi Montalcini and Patrizia Chierici (Head of
Scientific Research), Franco Lattes, with Paola Delpiano and Massimo Raschiatore,
in collaboration with the Municipality of Carmagnola and the Sanbernardesi
Ropemakers' Association.
AREA OF INTERVENTION: The protecting roof, on which intervention is to be
performed, is located in the Borgo di San Bernardo in the northwest part of
Carmagnola. The village has a rural type of architecture; the buildings are arranged
in a straight continuous row along the streets, but the long, narrow internal courtyards
are arranged perpendicularly to the main street. These indicate the lots covered by
the protecting roofs that were used to weave rope.
Our lot measures about ten meters in width, and sixty meters in length. Five of the
ten meters of width are covered. The pitch of the roof slants eastward and rests on
a perimeter wall. The covering, once made of bent tiles, is now made of Marseilles
tiles. The protecting roof is accessed through the farm-threshing floor.
HISTORICAL-ECONOMIC-GEOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND: The first deeds
attesting to the presence of hemp cultivation on the land of Carmagnola date back
to 1235. In 1522, the hemp market was transferred to Carignano due to the plague
and to the Spanish invasion, where it remained for two years.
After this time, the market of Carmagnola acquired importance as a trading center
for all of Piedmont only for hemp fiber and seeds that were by then widely exported
throughout Italy and to France. In the 17 '" century Carmagnola was a very important
city of the Savoy Government to which it had been annexed in 1588.
During the 19`" century, there was an increase in the amount of hemp produced
accompanied by technological changes that led to its development as an industry.
The years from 1875 to 1889 are of vital importance for the production and exportation
of hemp seeds, soon becoming the area's primary economic resource. With the
Unification of Italy, Carmagnola lost the government business orders bringing a heavy
loss for the local economy.
In 1930, the small hemp factories were absorbed by large mills creating a monopoly.
OBJECTIVE: The historical group of the San Bernardo Ropemakers and the public
administration collaborate in the preparation of a project for the reclamation of one
of the ancient protecting roofs where rope was made. The protecting roof of the Borgo
San Bernardo, one of the few that still exist, was purchased by the Small Town with
the intention of converting it into a small museum managed by the ropemakers'
association. This project is part of the project for the creation of Ecomuseum
organized by Office of the Assessor of the Province of Turin.
THE PROJECT: In the project, the protecting roof has been integrated with simple
geometric spaces. The southern part of the roof verges on a parallelepiped that serves
as a new entrance, small exhibition room and for other purposes. Under the roof's
first bay, a small window turns into an optical chamber, as if one were looking from
the outside in to see images of the past projected into the present. The northern part
is divided from the threshing floor by a space that is similar to the one previously
described but oriented toward the first one on the square axis. The project creates
a play of scenes. The temporary project is a sort of preliminary project, but it is defined
enough to allow the opening of the ecomuseum. The red colored I nnocenti tubes,
the wooden boards, the pebbles, the fruit trees and the colored cement lend
character to the environment. There is a five-meter high tower wrapped in rope with
the wheel used by the ropemakers for spinning above it. The benches along the
gangway are made of wood and accentuate the route. Located at the end under the
protecting roof are the service facilities and a small room for video projections.