Igloo Fountain

In the late 1960s, Merz produced systematic, archetypal works of Arte Povera. He instinctively embraced flexible, natural substances and made seemingly tough materials fluid and adaptable. This need for elasticity and simplification led to the creation of the igloos: basic, curved shelters that brought to mind nomadic dwellings and were made from strips, clay, fabric, wax, branches, tar, iron, glass, Perspex and neon. The primitive yet futuristic cellular spaces embodied cosmogonic symbolism and the drive of energy and technology. One of the igloos created by Merz is the fountain on Corso Mediterraneo. It is made of stone, with neon lights marking the four cardinal points. It is at the heart of the urban furnishing scheme for the Spina 2 complex, which is part of the wide avenue that will cross the city from the North to the South.