By AzerNEWS Staff
Milan, the host city for the upcoming Olympic Games, has launched an unusual public art initiative inviting visitors to contemplate the deeper meaning of sport, AzerNEWS reports via abcNEWS.
Titled “Together to Reflect”, the project takes the form of slender stakes topped with mirrors, on which parkgoers can inscribe their thoughts about sports and the Olympic Games. The initiative was developed collaboratively by BAM, a Milanese public park organisation, and NABA, the city’s academy of fine arts.
Anthony Cardamone discovered the project on Instagram and brought his wife and seven-year-old daughter to the BAM park on Sunday, the only day designated for visitors to leave messages. “For me, sport is about being together, it’s about sharing and measuring your own abilities,” he said. His daughter wrote “brave” on one of the dozens of mirrored flowers. “This activity helps her understand why sport is important and how beautiful it can be,” Cardamone added.
Francesca Colombo, BAM’s cultural director, explained the broader aim of the project: “When people think about the Olympics, they often think only about sports, but the Games are not just about the athletes and the medals. They are about values, and this is where culture is so powerful; because through art — music, dance, ballet — it can transmit these values.”
Visitors of all ages joined in. Roberta Massaccesi, a sports enthusiast, recounted that her son had asked to participate after spotting the mirrors. He drew a picture symbolising how sports benefit everyone. “We just went to a hockey match and it was the first time for me and him to join an Olympic event. It was amazing!” she said.
Students from NABA also volunteered at the exhibition, helping visitors engage with the mirrored stakes. Professor Chiara Vico noted that the mirrors allow people to see their own reflection as they share their thoughts, creating a literal and figurative moment of reflection.
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Photo by: Wallpaper magazine
