Maddalena D´Alfonso
PHD-Architect and Curator, Founder of M d´A Design Agency, Co-Founder of Display & Design Cultural Association
Italy, Milano
Maddalena d’Alfonso is an architect, essayist and researcher and holds the distinction of being an associate professor since 2017. Her expertise stands in the intersection of research activity and museographic culture which she skillfully applies to the conception and design of exhibitions and cultural programs. As a member of the scientific committee of ICOM - ICAMT (International Committee for Architecture and Museum Techniques) since 2019 she contributes significantly to the field.
One of her notable achievements is “The Landscape of Rights: Photographing the Constitution” exhibition curated in 2017 for the Municipality of Milan. This exhibition received the Medal of Representation from the President of the Italian Republic. Additionally her book “Warm Modernity” (published by Silvana in 2016, Milan) was honored with the RED DOT AWARD.
In 2019 Maddalena founded Md’A Design Agency where she brings together interdisciplinary expertise in architecture, curating and other specialties essential for managing museum spaces. Her agency focuses on implementing sustainable solutions for architecture and design emphasizing accessibility to visual culture.
Furthermore in 2024 she co-founded Display and Design ETS Cultural Association focusing on exhibits and museographic concepts related to sustainability and accessibility to culture. Maddalena d’Alfonso’s efforts shape the fields of architecture, museography and visual culture.
Bridging the Digital Gap
The exhibition Il Resto dell’Alba presented at MAN in Nuoro emerged from a theoretical collaboration among artist Patrick Tuttofuoco, museographer and curator Maddalena d’Alfonso and architect Giovanni de Niederhäusern, VP of Pininfarina Architettura. This immersive work delves into the virtual realm by giving tangible form to hyper-technological digital concepts.
Within the art space generated using virtual prototyping tools visitors and environment blend activating a dialogue with the temporal dimension of art. On one hand there is the historical past, symbolized by a Nuragic sculpture, an eternal emblem of our origins and archaic heritage. On the other we glimpse the digital future represented by the ethereal, auroral light of a double sun. This dual perspective embodies hope, regeneration and a new understanding of human existence on Earth echoing the ideas of Rousseau, Taut, and Heidegger.
Crafted entirely from aluminum using generative parametric design tools, it employs mesh clustering to optimize material usage. After the exhibition the work can be disassembled and its components recycled. The double sun, a fusion of an incipient sphere and its luminous shadow creates an enigmatic circuit challenging our notions of light and warmth.
Il Resto dell’Alba fosters a dialogue among art, architecture, and museography shaping a personal journey for visitors. It captures the ephemeral beauty of dawn, encapsulating anticipation and a suspended state of time. The exhibit challenges viewers to contemplate a future that may seem increasingly detached from nature yet it advocates for a harmonious balance between ecological principles and technology. As spectators traverse the boundary between past and future they personify the present state. The museographic landscape, inspired by the metaverse’s digital vistas, evokes the thrill and trepidation of proximity to the sun a metaphor that prompts introspection on pressing global concerns, from the effects of climate change to sustainable design and resource conservation.
Collaboration, Digital, Technology, Sustainable Design, Resource Conservation