The “Commutatore” and the effect of disequilibrium
© Ugo La Pietra I “Disequilibrating System, the Commutatore, 1970, Model of Understanding.
Ugo La Pietra’s “Commutatore” (1970) — Italian artist, architect, designer, and theorist — is part of his personal research into “habitability” and his critique of modern urban space, with the aim of creating models of understanding capable of revealing hidden aspects of the city. The trestle structure — a typical element of road works — becomes a portable and decontextualized architectural unit, conceived as an instrument of knowledge and an unexpected intervention in public space. The artist lies down on it, forming a potentially variable inclined angle (variant): a precarious position that requires constant effort to maintain balance. “Disequilibrium” thus becomes a necessary condition of existence, a metaphor for the individual’s difficulty in adapting to the contemporary city, marked by rigid and binding systems. La Pietra does not simply accept the space; he seeks a new relationship with the environment, even if unstable and strenuous. The work becomes an invitation to rediscover and actively inhabit the space that surrounds us.
In the movie Per oggi basta! (That’s Enough for Today!) of 1974), the artist uses the “Commutatore” to propose new ways of perceiving and interacting with the city, in tune with the radical design of the time. The instrument allows for the observation of urban reality from unusual perspectives, destabilizing ordinary perception. It is not only an aesthetic object but a critical device that questions the relationship between the individual and the city. Shot in Milan in black and white on 16 mm film, the movie documents the use of the “Commutatore” in urban space and the reactions of passersby, offering a reflection on everyday life and the need to interrupt the routine — “per oggi basta” — to open up to new perceptual experiences. Preserved in the FRAC Centre Collection in Orléans, the work maintains its relevance even after fifty years: a simple device — a “home made” one — that invites us to rethink the connection between body, perception, and urban space, transforming the city into an authentic and extraordinary laboratory of knowledge.
© Ugo La Pietra I Frame from the movie “Per oggi basta”(1974).