Laokoon

(Laocoon)
Year 1986
Text by Pino Poggi

The two models describe the final stages of a process we are witnessing. They are mentally linked to the figure of Laocoon, the priest who warned the Trojans not to accept the wooden horse as a gift from the withdrawing Greeks. He is a cautionary example for me – his warning was not heard and so Troy’s downfall was sealed. Even in our time there are imploring voices nobody listens to. Perhaps the fate of King Midas threatens us: Everything he touched turned to gold. He would have starved to death if a gracious god, Dionysus, had not freed him from the consequences of his greedy wish.

Waste (Model AU)
A white shimmering, magnificent square with arcades in the shape of a funnel. From golden taps in every corner of the square, whose beauty will not last forever, flows water incessant and uncontrollable. Not possible to close the taps…

A square surrounded by round arches. A waterpipe in each corner. A lowered hole in the center in the ground.
Waste, AU-model, dimensions unknown

The consequences (Model AU)
From a labyrinthine area, irregular stairs lead up to a funnel-shaped place that is closed (blocked; Italian: chiuso). No more water flows from the side wells. The water pipes are made of solid gold. Ash comes out of the pipe that is still working.

A water pipe on each side of a square.
The consequences, AU-model, dimensions unknown

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