Dress Code Venice Ramp: un vestito per le rampe (english subtitles)

Venice Art for All: this is the name of the project which aims to make a city more inclusive, by using the ramps placed on certain bridges for the Venice Marathon, to ensure full accessibility to cultural sites in the Dorsoduro quarter.
Indeed, until the 15th June, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Vedova Foundation, the Punta della Dogana, the Gallerie dell'Accademia and the Academy of Fine Arts will be easily accessed thanks to ramps installed on the Salute, Calcina and Incurabili bridges, and two young disabled residents of the area will be able to get to school independently.
Tito's mum
We asked whether the Venice Marathon ramps could be left in place because using these ramps my son has started going to school by himself.
Matilde's mum
For me, these ramps are essential. My daughter is Matilde, a nine-year-old suffering from muscular dystrophy who uses a wheelchair.
Until two years ago we could move fairly freely because she didn't weigh very much; now she has an electric wheelchair she is much more independent but the chair is very heavy, so it's difficult to get over the bridges. For me the idea of keeping the ramps as long as possible, until 15th June, is absolutely fundamental for getting around.
The brand new initiative for 2014 is Dress Code the Ramp , a creative urban design project which aims to find solutions to improving the appearance of the three ramps
12 young students from the European Institute of Design in Florence and Venice, together with their teachers, came up with solutions and then installed in situ the new-look ramps.
Matteo Fioravanti
The first phase was illustration of the project, when the Venice contingent came to Florence to explain to the IED their concept for accessibility and the installation of the ramps.
The students took this theoretical lesson on board and proceeded to develop their own ideas for the project during phase two.
The third phase was the final execution of the designs, when the students got together to physically install their ideas on the ramps.
Chiara Santini
This is our project for this bridge; the idea came from visiting Venice and looking at the decoration on ancient palaces and historic buildings, but also just on people's houses. The idea springs from what can be created using fabrics, in other words the decorations of fabrics, and we have developed different kinds of mesh precisely to create movement, also using different colours because this is a highly colourful city.
Another feature of our bridge is that it has one side which directly faces the water, so the light passes through the mesh all day long, creating various patterns and shadow effects on the ramp.
Fosco
Here we are at the Ponte de la Salute. The first time we came here we were struck by this green corner of the city and the shapes which are highly evocative of stretches of the lagoon, so we wanted to highlight the green which is hidden within Venice.
We chose rushes firstly because they are a poor material, and secondly because they are very flexible yet extremely strong, and we liked the effect of catching glimpses of the city through the greenery.
Chiara….
We began by using recycled materials and we tried to create a design which doesn't look too heavy. We chose polka dots to create a play of light and shadow which would be reflected on the ramp.
Arenghi
In the past two days I have been watching the students installing their works, but more than anything I was interested in the reaction of the public: people were no longer talking about these ramps as aids to accessibility, but most were referring to them as art.
Alberotanza
It makes you realise that art and culture can effectively become drivers to create the motivation for equality, for breaking down barriers, and that's why I believe that this is a vitally important message from the city to the world.
Arenghi
I think the challenge for the future is that if today we have students taking on ephemeral urban art, tomorrow could see a young, but cutting-edge, artist willing to undertake the same challenge, and at that point we would be able to create a show on the ramps, obviously in phases over the year, as an experiment in ephemeral urban art based on temporary elements.