In their reflections on Naples, Walter Benjamin and Asja Lacis describe the experience of navigating the city as one of discovery. They write: “the typical Neapolitan church does not ostentatiously occupy a vast square, visible from afar… It is hidden, built in; high domes are often to be seen from only a few places, and even then it is not easy to find one’s way to them, impossible to distinguish the mass of the church from that of the neighbouring… buildings.”
Masking/Masking Neapolis embarks on a journey to unveil two of these hidden churches and to generate new “baroque opening[s]” to “a heightened public sphere.” Both churches are of artistic and cultural significance: the first, the Pio Monte della Misericordia, houses Caravaggio’s Seven Acts of Mercy. The second, the church and monastery complex of San Gregorio Armeno built atop the Roman temple to Ceres, houses a gilt ceiling by Flemish painter Teodoro D'Errico depicting twenty small landscapes referring to the saints whose relics are preserved in the church, and a cupola and decoration by Luca Giordano. In the cloister, two statues converse in front of a fountain: Matteo Bottiglieri’s Jesus and a female Samaritan. The Neapolitan commedia dell’arte figure Pulcinella is introduced into these two sites of high culture through a series of architectural interventions which mirror his playful, yet transformative, character. Like Pulcinella's mask, which both conceals and reveals, architectural skins dress historical edifices to create visible and yet hidden spaces for a leather workshop, a market for theatrical costumes and vintage clothing, and an exhibition space showcasing theatrical attire.
Buildings akin to masks and costumes work onto, into and through existing structures and cloisters, creating channels for water collection, surfaces for solar shading, and pathways for people and ventilation. Lightweight frames structure these new dressings, creating deep occupied thresholds connecting streets to cloisters, and housing the many informal uses which contribute to the theatricality of the city.
