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Etherea: the new work by Edoardo Tresoldi for the Coachella Festival

Etherea is the new work signed by Edoardo Tresoldi for the great expanses of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival: one of the most prestigious musical events in the world, based in Indio, California with performers such as Beyoncé and Jamiroquai. The work is composed of three imposing buildings of neoclassical and baroque inspiration, entirely made of wire mesh, again supplied and manufactured by Cavatorta.

The three structures are identical to each other in form, but of increasing size, respectively 11, 16.5 and 22 metres high. Etherea is a site-specific installation, created to be admired and experienced during the two weekends of the Festival (13/15 and 20/22 April) alongside six other extraordinary works of contemporary art, commissioned of course by Coachella organizers.

 

Etherea is an ephemeral public artwork within Coachella’s large temporary city. It is the ideal dimension for Tresoldi to continue his sculptural narration of the ephemeral as a long-awaited suspended reality. An entity that transforms all of its elements in an event into a public space that disappears once the event itself is over.

 

Etherea became reality, lived in and explored actively by visitors, in a journey that expands visions and possible perspectives on the surrounding landscape and sky. It is an invitation to contemplate and rethink time and space. Almost a dimension of meditation. Quoting the press release presenting the work:

The installation plays ironically on the dualism between the pure and the filtered experiences that intertwine with one another, at the final stage leaving the man at the center of it all. With the passage from a macro-reality to a restricted one, the human body becomes a key to read, discover, measure and experience reality, just like architecture itself. An analogy between man, architecture and their surroundings is ultimately established.

From this point of view, the wire mesh is perfectly able to “take charge” of the message inherent in the work, as it appears, in perfect balance, between presence and absence, delineating a majestic structure, while at the same time remaining ethereal. A structure to be gazed up on, shaped by the changing light of day and by the artificial lights designed for nocturnal viewing.

THE CAVATORTA WIRE MESH PROTAGONIST OF ETHEREA

We had the pleasure of collaborating with Edoardo Tresoldi from the very beginning of his career, providing consultancy when required on the wire mesh for his most important works.

For Etherea, Tresoldi contacted us in October 2017. For us, it was a matter of great pride to receive this commission and send our wire mesh from Italy to the USA. Needless to say, the artist could have found similar products overseas. Similar, but evidently not the best! So, at the end of 2017 we sent our wire mesh,which after 45 days at sea, arrived first in Los Angeles and finally onto Indio, where Tresoldi and his team faced the long and demanding task of construction and installation.

The mesh used for Etherea corresponds, as in previous works, to our Esafort range. More specifically, the total of 500 rolls and a length of 25 metres each were used, 1 metre high, and with a mesh size of 25 × 25 mm. Regarding the diameter of the wire, we provided:

  • 400 rolls with 2 mm diameter wires;
  • 100 rolls with 1.8 mm diameter wires.

Precisely these technical specifications, and in particular the diameter of the wires, provided the solidity and resistance necessary to erect these majestic buildings from scratch. The peculiarities fundamental to the Esafort range are:

  • Geometric perfection of the mesh
    shown through the homogeneity of dimensions and shapes;
  • Galvanizing quality
    Heavy galvanization, carried out after welding, follows the exclusive Galvafort Process. This processing determines an excellent resistance to corrosion and a uniform, homogeneous and extended coating on each part of the wire, ensuring impeccable aesthetics and functionality.
  • Excellent resistance to mechanical stress
    Perfect adherence of the protective zinc coating to the steel base wire avoids any risk of cracking.

Once again, Edoardo Tresoldi has managed to astound us, by creating a poetic and emotional work of art. Once again it was an honour for us to work alongside him.

Photo

Photo by Roberto Conte.

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