‚Some Reasons for Travelling to Italy‘ refers not only to the pilgrimages of architects from Inigo Jones to Le Corbusier, but also those of the grand tourists of the 18^th century, romantics of the 19^th century and icons of the 20^th century like Ezra Pound, Sigmund Freud or Brigitte Bardot. This long tradition included Peter Wilson, whose travels to Italy to develop two architectural competition entries resulted in the new Monteluce Quartier in Perugia, which is currently nearing completion.

A few of these journeys were documented in AA Files #68, most are illustrated by drawings which include ‚Counter-factual Histories‘ (Jorge Luis Borges) in the form of handcrafted miniatures. Such works may be anachronistic in the age of digital spectacle but they are also reminders of cultural continuity. Some of the reasons for travelling to Italy include: to live cheaply, to travel with a consumptive relative, to look up, to abandon a bikini, to disappear, to make the Pope smile, to invent neo-classicism, to research Tarantism, to discover a telefonino on Etna and in an English garden in Naples.

A publication accompanies the exhibition and is available in the AA Bookshop.

Some Reasons for Traveling to Italy, Peter Wilson
exhibition : 16/1/2016 – 13/2/2016
Architectural Association – Front Member’s Room
Monday to Friday 10:00 – 19:00, Saturday 10:00 – 17:00

Go to AA website