M. Paladino, “The Sleepers” – Arte all’Arte, 1998
Fonte delle Fate
Poggibonsi
La Fonte delle Fate (Fairies’ Fount) was originally called Fontana di Vallepiatta and is the only one surviving fount of the medieval castle of Poggiobonizzo, destroyed by Florence army in 1270.
In 1998 Mimmo Paladino designed a suggestive installation called I Dormienti (The Sleepers) inside the cultural event Arte all’Arte. Arte, architettura, paesaggio (Art to Art. Art, Architecture, Landscape). The opera has two sculptural subjects: the crocodile, theme on which the artist worked for years, and the sleeping human being. So the fount became home of its new silent inhabitants in random order, visible only by coming close to the railing.
Sculptures are installed on iron floors of different size partially submerged in water: depending by the rain flows, works can be revealed or immerged. The atmosphere is suggestive and stopped in time. In 2000 Paladino donated the sculptures to the city of Poggibonsi.
