Stories Federico Torra and nobody’s spaces Text by Laura Ghigliazza Photo by Federico Torra Add to bookmarks Huge doorways safeguard from the eyes of curious passersby. Milan is a city with a wealth of hidden spaces. This is the tale of a journey taken behind the scenes. Alvar Aalto studio, Helsinki, 2018 Alvar Aalto studio, Helsinki, 2018 Alvar Aalto studio, Helsinki, 2018 Barbican Center, London, 2018 Scalo Ferroviario di Segrate, Milano, 2017 Yoyogi Park Police Station, Tokyo, 2019 Tokyo, 2019 A small house, Tokyo, 2019 Nadja Zerunian Home for Icon Design, Wien 2019 Jil Sander Sant'Andrea store front window (commissioned), Milano, 2019 Jil Sander Sant'Andrea concept Store (commissioned), Milano, 2019 Jil Sander Sant'Andrea concept Store (commissioned), Milano, 2019 Sunnei Headquarter, commissioned, Milano, 2020 Linda Tegg installation at Jil Sander's HQ in Milano, 2019 Flos Editorial for Flos Journal, 2020 Flos Editorial for Flos Journal, 2020 Taylor F Colantonio home in Rome for T Magazine, 2019 Nadja Zerunian home for Icon Design, Wien 2019 Nadja Zerunian home for Icon Design, Wien 2019 Ciliegio Interno architects interior, 2021 Nezu Museum, Tokyo, 2019 Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, 2019 Landings belong to no-one. That’s the first thing that springs to mind every time I take the stairs to climb up to a home that is not my own. Spaces created around different lives, separated by bare square metres that only the boldest dare to clutter. The photographer Federico Torra’s Condomini Milanesi collection of pictures of Milanese condominiums focuses on the entrances to residential buildings in the city of Milan. A series of shots paying tribute to that particular space, shared by the private inhabitants and the people on the street. In Milan, the great main doors fend off the most inquisitive glances. You may well have passed many of them by, and paid them no heed, in the district you tend to walk through. Then, one morning, at a different time than usual, you suddenly notice that one of them has been thrown open. Then, no matter how late you may be, you will crane your neck as far as you can just to catch a glimpse inside. Nature is the only thing that has no qualms about invading the spaces into which we tiptoe. This is precisely how I imagine Federico as he clicks his shutter: as delicately as possible. His work focuses on urban architecture and on the urban landscape. His perfectly balanced shots are compositions of memories. Images illuminated by an extraordinarily clear light, devoid of shadows, illustrating the order and immobility of a space marked by time and by people. 29 June 2021 Share See AlsoOther Articles Exhibitions The latest outdoor furnishing, championing sustainability, material and colour Comfortable and sustainable, outdoor furnishing lends itself to many different interpretations, channelling innovation and constantly evolving aesthetics Marilena Pitino Stories The biology of light, according to Manuel Spitschan What does chronobiology have to do with design? Manuel Spitschan, professor at the Technische Universität München, explains why light is essential to our well-being. And why designers should know more about it to design better. Giulia Zappa Sustainability The Piazze Aperte scheme is really changing the face of Milan Since 2018, the two local governments helmed by Mayor Giuseppe Sala have closed more than fifty of the city’s streets and roads to traffic – but not to people. And this is just the beginning Fabrizio Fasanella
Exhibitions The latest outdoor furnishing, championing sustainability, material and colour Comfortable and sustainable, outdoor furnishing lends itself to many different interpretations, channelling innovation and constantly evolving aesthetics Marilena Pitino
Stories The biology of light, according to Manuel Spitschan What does chronobiology have to do with design? Manuel Spitschan, professor at the Technische Universität München, explains why light is essential to our well-being. And why designers should know more about it to design better. Giulia Zappa
Sustainability The Piazze Aperte scheme is really changing the face of Milan Since 2018, the two local governments helmed by Mayor Giuseppe Sala have closed more than fifty of the city’s streets and roads to traffic – but not to people. And this is just the beginning Fabrizio Fasanella