EXHIBITION
ROME, ITALY / LiPu Contemporary Art Gallery
Rome, July -September 2008: To coincide with the 2009 Swimming and Diving World Championship in Rome and highlighting the participation of Australian Matt Mitcham (gold medallist in the 10-metre platform event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games) LipanjePuntin artecontemporanea – Roma presents MATT DIVE GOLD.
Art meets sport in an exhibition curated by Jonathan Turner, featuring 20 artists and designers from four continents: Australia, Canada, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Macedonia, Malta, the Netherlands, Spain and United States. Antonio Pio Saracino presents the Diver’s House for the Australian Olympic diver, Gold Medal, Beijing 2008.
The house is inspired by the architecture of the Sydney Opera House and the natural structure of seashells. Saracino designed the house’s shell, made of reinforced concrete, using an algorithm describing the intricate patterns of coral geometry.
The home’s multiple levels blend with a network of stairs that extend outward and turn into an intricate system of diving boards positioned at varying heights. The fluid geometry and upward motion of ramps prepare the diver for a smooth descent into the water.
Together, the ramps and diving boards connect to create the backbone of the house. The swimming pool extends into the first floor, inviting water directly into the living space.
