Home 9 Research projects 9 Building the ephemeral in Turin, capital of the Savoy States Coordinators: V. Burgassi, M. Volpiano (Principal Investigator – PI)

Building the ephemeral in Turin, capital of the Savoy States Coordinators: V. Burgassi, M. Volpiano (Principal Investigator – PI)

Abstract 

The extensive literature on ephemeral architecture in the modern age is rarely encountered in building historiography. Yet even the architecture of festivities or other recurrent occasions, especially in the capital cities of the ancien régime, demanded complex technical and decision-making processes just as much as the construction of palaces of more lasting importance. In the centuries of absolutism, Europe had a passion for rituals and ephemeral representations. In particular, they were set up on the occasion of significant dynastic events such as weddings, funerals and ascensions to the throne. Besides, plenty of religious and civil events were sponsored by local authorities such as municipalities. These multiple celebrations may involve churches, palaces or the entire urban space. If we look at the States of the House of Savoy, located in the geographical area straddling the Alps between France and Italy, there is now wide-ranging historiography on the subject. Scholars highlight above all the aspects of political legitimisation, the iconographic and iconological dimension, the historical-institutional one, and also contribute to a broader recognition of cultural contexts and the social and cultural history.  

This research project looks at the creation of these decorative structures as strictly regulated processes, interwoven with the politics of the Savoy kingdom just as much as the construction of palaces and strategic fortresses scattered throughout their territory. Erecting these temporary structures, therefore, required meticulous consideration, evidence of which can be found by delving into the archival sources. 

Participants 

Valentina Burgassi (PI), Politecnico di Torino  

Mauro Volpiano (PI), Politecnico di Torino 

Contacts: valentina.burgassi@polito.it    mauro.volpiano@polito.it  

Short Bibliography: 

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Burgassi, V., Volpiano M., 2020. Traditions and Innovations: the construction of the court palaces and the role of professional figures in Eighteenth-century Piedmont. In J.W.P. Campbell (eds), Iron, Steel and Buildings. Studies in the History of Construction. Proceedings of the Seventh Conference of the Construction History Society: 275-286. Cambridge: The Construction History Society. 

Burgassi, V., Volpiano M., 2021. Building the Ephemeral in Turin, Capital of the Savoy States. In Building the ephemeral in Turin, capital of the Savoyard states, J. Mascarenhas-Mateus (Eds) “History of Construction Cultures, Volume I. Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress on Construction History”, New York, Leiden: Taylor & Francis Group, 2021, pp. 457-462. 

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