Cimitero della Montagna Verde: Chinese Cemetery in Prato | Florence, Italy | Unit 21 | 2023

Prato, renowned for its textile industry, is home to a significant Chinese population of 45,000. The relationship between the Chinese and Italian communities in Prato has experienced welcoming phases, cooperation, misunderstandings, and tension over the past three decades. The project proposes expanding the cemetery at the serpentine quarry Cava di Figline in Prato as a space for cultural acceptance and appreciation between the Chinese and Italian communities.

This project aims to recreate the funeral procession journey along Via Pistoiese, a street also known as Chinatown in Prato. Anamorphic distortions of architectural imagery in three-dimensional forms are employed to transform the Pistoiese gate and building facades at different scales. By utilizing anamorphosis, a dynamic interplay between physical and cultural perspectives is created, enabling the coexistence of diverse cultural images in a three-dimensional context. The project advocates for the coexistence of various cultures by providing shared spaces for different ethnic groups and shared areas for cultural, agricultural, national, and religious events, all within an architectural framework.

Preliminary Anamorphic Experiment

Anamorphic text to distort the front façade of Santa Maria Novella in Florence.

Multi-Viewpoint Projections

Overlaying three different anamorphic distortions into one and creating a recognisable image as one walks around the structure.

Carving into a Vertical Wall

Carved anamorphic spaces in vertical wall of the layered underground serpentine.

1:200 Plan and Section

The Procession