Del Colore dell'Aria

An exploration of historic atmospheric fluctuations anchored this interactive installation developed with Studio Folder. Commissioned for the “Leonardo da Vinci. Disegnare il futuro” exhibition at the Royal Museums in Turin, Italy, the project bridged physical modeling and digital visualization. The work focused on translating 500-year-old environmental observations from the Codex Leicester into a dynamic, spatial experience centered on the Monte Rosa mountain range.

The core of the installation relied on a physical model of Monte Rosa, animated through precise projection mapping. This projection system was integrated with an illuminating diorama positioned behind the model, requiring tight synchronization between the visual overlays and the background lighting. The technical execution involved mapping historical atmospheric data onto the three-dimensional topography, ensuring that the digital projections accurately aligned with the physical contours of the mountain.

Developing the installation required calibrating the projection mapping to account for the complex geometry of the mountain model. The system demanded continuous synchronization between the projected atmospheric animations and the diorama's lighting cues to maintain visual consistency. Iteration focused on adjusting the projection angles and lighting intensities to ensure the historical weather patterns were legible across the physical surface without optical distortion, validating the setup for a long-term museum deployment.

The completed system was deployed and exhibited at the Royal Museums in Turin as part of a broader presentation featuring over fifty works from Leonardo da Vinci’s studies on art and science. By integrating projection mapping with physical fabrication, the installation successfully visualized early climate observations. The final deployment provided a functional centerpiece for the exhibition, translating archival writings into a spatial format that prompted reflection on historical and future environmental shifts.