Reflecting on Bruno Munari's evocative work, "In the Fog of Milan," this piece explores its impact on the sensory experience of childhood and urban life.
Bruno Munari’s Nella Nebbia di Milano, translated as The Circus in the Mist, captures the intricate relationship between memory and environment through its unique design and storytelling. The title emphasizes ‘fog’—an integral part of Milan's urban experience until recent changes blurred that landscape of my youth. It's vital to differentiate between the concepts of fog and mist; fog, especially in this context, embodies a dense, enveloping quality that shapes perception and reality.
The publication employs layered translucent vellum that mimics the density of Milan’s industrial fog. This textured medium invites readers to engage physically with the pages, aligning the reading experience with the act of traversing a familiar yet distorted world, reminiscent of navigating through fog. For me, recalling Munari’s imagery evokes visceral memories of my morning commutes—where visibility often plummeted, transforming the mundane into the surreal.
Within the exhibition Building Books. Corraini Edizioni, co-curated with Pietro Corraini, Munari’s work becomes part of a larger dialogue about how books are not merely objects but spaces to explore. One installation cleverly incorporates large semitransparent curtains, allowing visitors to physically move through representations of Munari’s illustrations, emphasizing the spatial experience inherent in storytelling.
Reflecting on my adolescence spent within the coastal fog, I remember early train rides—muffled sounds, obscured visuals—each moment steeped in a silence imposed by the environment. Commuters on the platform shared that same muted experience, often lost in books while waiting for trains that seemed to emerge from nowhere. The sensation of distance collapsing is captured poignantly in Munari's work as the shadows of trains become instantaneously present in our periphery.
On those trains, dense with a cocktail of cold air and cigarette smoke, the fog infiltrated every corner of our lives. The distinctive scent mingled with the grayness, a consistent reminder of our surroundings as urban dwellers. Munari’s book resonated with my reality, seamlessly tying the fog I knew with his artistic renderings, vividly recalling the early, melancholic beauty of the city.
Arriving at stations like Milano Porta Garibaldi, I often detoured to the Varesine fairgrounds, where the fog’s muted ambiance collided with the vibrant rush of amusement. It's this contrast—a journey from obscurity to color—that imbues Munari’s narrative with depth. The circus symbolizes joy, yet it gains its vibrancy in juxtaposition to the fog-filled journey leading up to it.
This phenomenon deepens the book's significance; it cleverly showcases how experiences of gloom heighten moments of joy. Munari utilizes various print techniques that offer innovative ways to engage with the text, allowing readers to traverse their own perceptions as they experience his artistic interpretations of reality.
While photographs and film from that era fade, Munari's illustrations endure. The vivid hues of his paper choices and design techniques maintain the freshness of those memories, offering a visual affirmation that both fog and color play equal roles in defining our experiences. He reshaped my understanding of gray, revealing it not as a mere absence of color but rather a vital, complex presence.
Today, as the city evolves and the fog has all but vanished, Munari’s work persists as a nostalgic bridge to the past—a reminder of how environment shapes perception. It maintains its ability to engage readers in a meaningful way, urging them to navigate through their own fog before arriving at moments of clarity or joy. I’m thankful for the opportunity to revisit those memories, and for the thoughtful curation that allows for such exploration.
In closing, Munari's artistic legacy stands resilient against the changing backdrop of Milan, offering reflective space for all who engage with it, encouraging us to remember where we come from amidst the rush of transformation.
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