The Theatre La Fenice in Venice has been given a dramatic overhaul courtesy of the artist Fabrizio Plessi whose Fenix DNA work was recently installed in the historic theatrical venue. The work featured 200 moulds by Plessi of the theatre's ornamental sculptures which were destroyed in the catastrophic fire of 1996 (the opera house, which opened in 1792, was devastated by another blaze in 1836). These moulds were scattered in the stalls area; a dramatic musical backdrop comes courtesy of Giovanni Sparano, who composed a special score played by Pourquoi-Pas Ensemble. “Spectators [are] lost in the magic of the labyrinth of emotions,” Plessi says. “There’s fire and the theatre shines with a digital red light. The white light of the moulds illuminate the secret shadows of perception.” The work was sponsored by Generali Group's Valore Cultura programme and presented in collaboration with Arthemisia.
