EDEN(?)
“... The Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”
In the book of Genesis, lying in the middle of the desert is the Garden of Eden, the Earthly Paradise wanted by God, magnificent example of his power, for life and harmony can be found there. Outside of it, only waste land. For the people of Rubattino God is a City Planner with unbiased love for children and for sound capitalism: hobbyhorses, slides and swings, but also supermarkets and shopping malls instantly drawing the attention of a first-time visitor. The Southern border – Firemen Square – and the Northern limit – the great ring road – enclose the area which is characterized by enormous and silent buildings, so glossy as to appear completely alien when compared to the “wild” neighbourhood nearby.
Nonetheless, those who live in these buildings and stroll along the pedestrian streets like to vehemently protect their privacy, showing a strong dislike to cameras. Coming home from the thousandth visit, I have the feeling of having experienced the same distrust the towns of ancient Greece reserved to barbarians who weren’t even allowed to breathe the same air as them. Luckily, in democratic Athens there were men such as Diogenes the Cynic reminding the arrogant citizens that much of what surrounded them was superflous. No such luck here, no wise vagabonds to be found; it’s as if some kind of magnetic field keeps ‘outcasts‘ at bay. Those coming from outside might even feel envious seeing how well organized everything is, or anxious when imagining a television director hiding somewhere, ready to impress millions of viewers with a stage-effect, when even old people walking down the streets look like extras, and the houses don’t seem to have anyone living in them.
Maybe, the people of Rubattino just forgot they’re breathing the same smog as everybody, from the suburbs to piazza Duomo.
