Sponge House is a multifaceted place, difficult to define in a few words.
It stands near the top of a gentle hill, verdant and surrounded by oaks and the cultivated fields that so characterise the rural Marche. A bucolic, pleasant landscape, where with little effort you can enjoy a fairytale-like view of the Apennines and its highest northern peaks. Half a kilometre from the farmhouse is the small hamlet whose name only a novelist would have chosen: Mezzanotte. Further on, in the wide valley carved out by the Cesano river, lies Pergola, famous for its Golden Bronzes from the Roman era, with its 13th-century medieval-style houses and churches. This is the same land that inspired Mario Giacomelli, a famous photographer whose works are housed in many international museums such as MoMa, New York.
Having made this introduction, what is Sponge House, physically and philosophically?
It is a country cottage with two souls belonging to different eras and centuries. The first, made of stone and lime, dates back to the 19th century. The second to the 20th century, with cement and perfectly squared bricks. These two cores have been amalgamated in modern times, making this home contemporary and suitable for the purposes for which Sponge Artecontemporanea was created back in 2008. Every corner of the house houses pieces of contemporary art, left by national and international artists. Although the exterior face of the house undergoes little change, the interior face is constantly changing; every few months, according to the exhibition on display. Other valuable works are located in the Wunderkammer on the ground floor, where the kitchen and living room are also located, and in the artist’s studio. The activity of Casa Sponge is not limited to just being a container for artistic works. The association cultivates dense relations with local cultural bodies, always keeping alive the interest in contemporary art (often misunderstood by the layman) and the local natural beauty. Its efforts were rewarded in 2017 by the Marche Region with the publication of a book dedicated to it: ‘Sponge, un sogno che a,m,o – dieci anni di arte contemporanea nelle Marche’.
***The images reproduced represent works and interventions by: Bianco Valente – Effetto Farfalla: FatStudio – Effetto Farfalla: Espoarte 100 – Gianluca Panareo – Pierluca Cetera – Rocco Dubbini – Vincenzo Marsiglia.
