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Aldo Cibic Microrealities project collection

Aldo Cibic Microrealities project collection

Part of

People

  • Aldo Cibic (archive creator)

Title

Aldo Cibic Microrealities project collection

Dates of creation

2003-2008

Form

  • archives

Level of archival description

collection

Extent and Medium

  • 186 drawings
  • 160 digital files (2.5 GB)
  • 97 photographic materials
  • 0.01 linear meter of textual records

Scope and Content

The Aldo Cibic Microrealities project collection, 2003-2008, was assembled by Aldo Cibic for the CCA following a request from the CCA Director, who saw Microrealities exhibited at the Biennale di Venezia.

The collection documents four proposals for urban development that focus on redefining the relationship between citizens and cities. For Cibic, citizens have the ability to give a space its identity. Their actions, visions, exchanges and potential stimulate creativity and allow them to develop small situations that once combined can have a significant impact on a larger scale.

Cibic and his firm propose four “microrealities”: 1. The Gates of the city takes place in Milan and exploits relations and exchanges between residents, workers, and visitors. This microreality focuses on giving access to all areas of the city through transportation and as a result maximize exchange and communication between people; 2. Shopping Center, Public Spaces + … looks at how to create a space that emulates the traditional concept of the shopping center while integrating key social activities, such as recreational and educational activities, into the space; 3. The Vegetable garden city searches for ways to leave the city and experience the ‘rhythms of nature’ in order to introduce balance in peoples’ lives; and 4. Shanghai: 100 new subways examines urban sprawl and the destruction of older spaces within the city in the context of Shanghai, creating a fracture within peoples’ living environments. A proposed solution is to develop infrastructure to integrate these spaces, specifically through a subway network where each station would serve as a center for a new community.

The project “Microrealities” was presented at:

- 9th International Architectural Exhibition, exhibition “Metamorph”, at the Biennale di Venezia (12 September-17 November 2004)

- Graz Museum of Modern Art, Austria: exhibition “M City. European Cityscapes” (1 October 2005-8 January 2006)

- CISA - Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio: exhibition “Microrealities” (9 June-30 July 2006)

- Leopolda Station, Florence, Italy: exhibition The Storytellers” (1-11 December 2005)

- Galleria Yellow Fish Art, Montréal, Québec, Canada: installation “Microrealities” (3-28 May 2006)

The collection contains presentation booklets which feature drawings and design work, publications, and three DVDs from the Microrealities project. Two of the DVDs contain videos likely created for and displayed at exhibitions including the Biennale di Venezia. These videos contain footage of large and elaborate presentation models created by Cibic to illustrate each of the four Microrealities. The third DVD contains still images of each Microrealities model as well as Microsoft Word files with Italian- and English-language project texts for the “Metamorph” exhibit at the 2004 Biennale di Venezia and the “M City. European Cityscapes” exhibit at the Graz Museum of Modern Art.

The collection also includes a presentation booklet on “Citizen City”, a preliminary design research project which preceded “Microrealities”. This project was exhibited in Milan in 2003.

Reference Number

CD033

Arrangement

There was no prior arrangement of the material. Arrangement of the collection by document type was undertaken by CCA staff.

Biographical notes

The architect and designer Aldo Cibic was born in Schio, Italy, in 1955. In 1979, he went to work with Ettore Sottsass and became a partner the next year. Together with other designers, they founded the Memphis group in 1980. In 1989 in Milan, Aldo Cibic founded Cibic&Partners with Luigi Marchetti, Chuck Felton and Antonella Spiezio. The firm’s main interests are in architecture, graphic art, interior and industrial design.

Aldo Cibic’s professional activities include teaching at the Domus Academy, in the Faculty of Architecture at the Milan Polytechnic University as part of the Industrial Design degree, and in the Faculty of Design at the Architectural School of the University of Venice.

With other authors and collaborators, Cibic has published, among other titles, Aldo Cibic : designer (1999), Microrealities : a project about places and people (2006), Rethinking happiness (2010), and Verso Milano Expo 2015 (2011).

References: Microrealities website, accessed July 19, 2016, http://www.microrealities.org

Doveil, Frida. ‘Aldo Cibic’ (Milano: Editrice Abitare Segesta, [2005]), 156.

Conditions governing access

  • Access by appointment only.

Conditions governing reproduction

  • For copyright information or permission to reproduce material from the collection, please contact the CCA (reproductions@cca.qc.ca).

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

  • Gift of Aldo Cibic on 26 March 2008.

Custodial history

The Microrealities project material was held at the Cibic&Partners office before its donation by Aldo Cibic to the CCA in 2008.

Archivist's note

  • The Aldo Cibic Microrealities project collection was processed by Jennifer Préfontaine in July 2016.

Credit line

Pour citer la collection en entier | Use this credit line when citing the entire collection:
Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/
Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal;
Don de Aldo Cibic/
Gift of Aldo Cibic
Pour citer des objets spécifiques, veuillez vérifier la ligne de crédit de l’objet avec Référence à la collection.
When citing specific collection objects, please verify the object’s credit line with CCA Reference.

Language of material

English, Italian

Related units of description

  • The publication “Microrealities” (2006) is available in the CCA library collection.

Inventory

Sort by: 

  • Actions:
    See more Close
    • Reference Number: CD033.01
    • Title: Microrealities presentation documents
    • Dates of creation: 2004-2006
    • Form: textual records
    • Catalogued items within this file 0

    People:

    • Aldo Cibic (archive creator)

    Quantity / Object type:

    1 File

    Extent and Medium:

    • 0.01 l.m. of textual records

    Credit line:

    Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/
    Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal;
    Don de Aldo Cibic/
    Gift of Aldo Cibic

    Language of material:

    English

    Folder Number:

    CD033-001-001

  • Actions:
    See more Close
    • Reference Number: CD033.02
    • Title: Microrealities design research with sketches and views of models
    • Dates of creation: 2004
    • Form: drawings, textual records, photographs
    • Catalogued items within this file 0

    People:

    • Aldo Cibic (archive creator)

    Quantity / Object type:

    1 File

    Stage and Purpose:

    • conceptual drawing

    Extent and Medium:

    • Reproductions of 107 drawings, 87 photographs and 20 printouts

    Credit line:

    Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/
    Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal;
    Don de Aldo Cibic/
    Gift of Aldo Cibic

    Language of material:

    English

    Folder Number:

    CD033-001-002

  • Actions:
    See more Close
    • Reference Number: CD033.03
    • Title: Citizen City design research with sketches and installation views
    • Dates of creation: 2003
    • Form: drawings, textual records, photographs
    • Catalogued items within this file 0

    People:

    • Aldo Cibic (archive creator)

    Quantity / Object type:

    1 File

    Stage and Purpose:

    • conceptual drawing

    Extent and Medium:

    • Reproductions of 59 drawings, 6 photomontages, 4 photographs

    Credit line:

    Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/
    Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal;
    Don de Aldo Cibic/
    Gift of Aldo Cibic

    Language of material:

    English

    Folder Number:

    CD033-001-003

  • Actions:
    See more Close
    • Reference Number: CD033.04
    • Title: Microrealities DVD: presentation videos
    • Dates of creation: 2006
    • Form: born digital
    • Catalogued items within this file 0

    People:

    • Aldo Cibic (archive creator)

    Description:

    File includes both a disk image and logical files carved from the disk image using SleuthKit's tsk_recover. Most common file formats: DVD data file and backup data file, Video Object File (MPEG-2 subset).

    Quantity / Object type:

    1 File

    Extent and Medium:

    • 43 digital files (2 GB)

    Conditions governing access:

    • Digital material can only be accessed on-site. Please contact Reference at ref@cca.qc.ca for more information. Access by appointment only.

    Credit line:

    Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/
    Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal;
    Don de Aldo Cibic/
    Gift of Aldo Cibic

    Folder Number:

    CD033-001-004

  • Actions:
    See more Close
    • Reference Number: CD033.05
    • Title: Microrealities DVD: views of models and presentation texts for exhibitions held at the Biennale di Venezia, Italy and at the Kunsthaus Graz, Austria
    • Dates of creation: 2003-2006
    • Form: born digital
    • Catalogued items within this file 0

    People:

    • Aldo Cibic (archive creator)

    Description:

    File includes both a disk image and logical files carved from the disk image using SleuthKit's tsk_recover. Most common file formats: JPEG File Interchange Format, Exchangeable Image File Format (Compressed), Thumbs DB file, Microsoft Word Document, Tagged Image File Format.

    Quantity / Object type:

    1 File

    Extent and Medium:

    • 113 digital files (369 MB)

    Conditions governing access:

    • Digital material can only be accessed on-site via CCA's digital archives access interface. Please contact Reference at ref@cca.qc.ca for more information. Access by appointment only.

    Credit line:

    Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/
    Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal;
    Don de Aldo Cibic/
    Gift of Aldo Cibic

    Folder Number:

    CD033-001-005

  • Actions:
    See more Close
    • Reference Number: CD033.06
    • Title: Microrealities DVD: presentation videos
    • Dates of creation: 2005-2008
    • Form: born digital
    • Catalogued items within this file 0

    People:

    • Aldo Cibic (archive creator)

    Description:

    File includes both a disk image and logical files carved from the disk image using SleuthKit's tsk_recover. Most common file formats: Windows Media Video.

    Quantity / Object type:

    1 File

    Extent and Medium:

    • 4 digital files (216 MB)

    Conditions governing access:

    • Digital material can only be accessed on-site via CCA's digital archives access interface. Please contact Reference at ref@cca.qc.ca for more information. Access by appointment only.

    Credit line:

    Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/
    Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal;
    Don de Aldo Cibic/
    Gift of Aldo Cibic

    Folder Number:

    CD033-001-006

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