The application is an integral component of a museum installation dedicated to The Analogous City, a collaborative artwork by Aldo Rossi, Eraldo Consolascio, Bruno Reichlin, and Fabio Reinhart, originally showcased at the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 1976. This innovative application leverages augmented reality to enhance the viewer's experience by overlaying multiple layers of references onto a reproduction of The Analogous City, which can be accessed at http://archizoom.epfl.ch.
This digital tool is essential for engaging with the exhibition titled "Aldo Rossi - The window of the poet, Prints 1973-1997," which is being hosted at the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, Archizoom EPFL in Lausanne, and GAMeC in Bergamo. Visitors can purchase a map of the Analogous City, published by Archizoom, which allows them to replicate the museum's interactive experience at any location and time. The map includes insightful texts by Aldo Rossi, Fabio Reinhart, and Dario Rodighiero, enriching the understanding of the artwork.
The Analogous City, or La Città Analoga, was envisioned as a comprehensive urban project. It integrates various historical and architectural elements, such as Giovanni Battista Caporali's drawing of Vitruvius’ city from 1536, Galileo Galilei's depiction of the Pleiades Constellation from 1610, Tanzio da Varallo's painting of David and Goliath circa 1625, Francesco Borromini's plan of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane from 1638-1641, the Dufour topographic map of 1864, Le Corbusier's general plan of the chapel of Notre Dame du Haut from 1954, and numerous architectural projects by Aldo Rossi and his team.
Aldo Rossi himself described the Analogous City as a dynamic entity, stating, "Between past and present, reality and imagination, the analogous city is perhaps simply the city to be designed day by day, tackling problems and overcoming them, with a reasonable certainty that things will ultimately be better." This quote, featured in Lotus International n. 13 in 1976, encapsulates the ongoing and evolving nature of the project.
