Rome, the Gazometro at the heart of the urban regeneration of the Ostiense neighbourhood. A new mural at the Gazometro will be yet another piece of the puzzle
The Gazometro is becoming the beating heart of the urban regeneration currently transforming the Ostiense neighbourhood in Rome. Following the various interventions that have involved this district on the edge of the capital's centre over recent years – an area that grew up in the 1910s to house the city's first industrial zone – a new work of street art will change the face of via del Commercio: the mural will rise just a stone's throw from the Gazometro, which can rightfully be considered Rome's most significant post-industrial complex. From symbol of an industrial past, this place is transforming into an icon of the city's cultural and artistic future.
The piece will be created by Giulio Vesprini, a Marche-born artist whose defining hallmarks are cross-pollination and multidisciplinarity. Long accustomed to making his works "dialogue" with very different types of public space – from walls to street furniture, all the way to floor surfaces and playgrounds – Vesprini has already left his mark on the Ponte della Scienza, which connects the Teatro India directly with the Gazometro. The old grey surface spanning the river Tevere has been transformed into a walkable artwork: a "canvas" of a full one thousand square metres on which the colours of nature across the four seasons merge with those of the river below.
Supported by Rome's VIII Municipio, Vesprini's new mural will be realised in the second half of the year thanks to the backing of LifeGate and ROAD. Rome Advanced District is a business network capable of bringing together public and private actors, with the aim of creating within the Gazometro complex a genuine sustainable innovation hub; this through an open and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem that can become a point of reference for events, education activities and creative experimentation.
Vesprini's work will slot into the context of the numerous pieces already present in the Ostiense neighbourhood, which since 2011 has become one of the most important destinations on the Italian street art scene. In recent times in particular, the area is experiencing a remarkable renaissance under the banner of urban regeneration, driven by an overarching vision that seeks to engage all the key stakeholders in the district.
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