Federica Mambrini

Federica Mambrini. L’albergo della lontananza

How can two people be together if they live in two different hemispheres of the world? Is it possible to build a bridge between two places?

The project unfolds between Italy and Chile and is based on specific architectural situations that have been studied or created. The generator and catalyst of the project is a long-distance relationship between two people, divided between two distant continents, who try to draw closer by analysing the space that separates them. Five situations are explored: the bridge, the two squares, the room/the doubt, the kiss, and the desert. 

The bridge, designed in Chile and built in Italy, is the fundamental connecting structure that links two points. What does it mean to build and cross a bridge? Is it possible to build a bridge between two continents?

The two squares examine two places, in Valparaíso and Trieste, very far from each other yet extraordinarily similar in the architecture that defines them. How can I mislead my perception and feel as if I am in a place far from where I am physically located?

The room is located inside a museum and addresses the idea of doubt, an inevitable condition when talking about relationships. Inside it are numerous reproductions of endemic Chilean trees. What happens if there is a translation error in what I am seeing? How does distance influence my perception?

The kiss is represented through a cinematic device, a flipbook, which captures the precise moment in which two people touch. The setting is Michelangelo Antonioni and Monica Vitti’s dome, overlooking the sea, which was their love nest. Is it possible to erase distance with a kiss printed on paper?

The desert is one of those places where it is most difficult to define boundaries or distances, whether geographic, physical or mental. And yet, the Atacama Desert is home to hut-shaped structures that have remained unchanged for centuries. Is it possible to find points of reference in a constantly changing landscape?