ab-USO was a collective focused on public space. It was active between 2014 and 2016.
Over two years, we developed nine interventions while completing our studies at the Faculty of Architecture. The collective took shape after WAARK, and we soon explored different approaches to the design and construction of public and common spaces. We won a grant from Estate Fiorentina 2014 with FreeMatch; we organised a participatory process and a crowdfunding campaign for Ri-creazioni; we designed and built an installation during an occupation that later became legal; we participated in an exhibition organised by the Pecci Museum; and we designed the setup for the temporary opening of Sant’Orsola. On this page you can find a summary of each project.
The co-founders of ab-USO, in alphabetical order, were: Annalisa Petito, Costanza Farolfi, Emma Verdelli, Enrico Tomassini, Francesco Caneschi, Gianluca Ricciolini, Irene Ferrara, Lorenzo Gili, and Nicholas Page. Martina Grifoni collaborated on some projects.At the end of 2016, many of us travelled across Europe in search of new experiences.
After that period, the association Hub-uso was founded by some former members. In 2023, Enrico Tomassini and I co-founded Superterrestre APS together with others.
Officina 2
ab_USO was selected for the TU35 program organized by the Pecci Museum, which invited young artists to create an installation at Officine Giovani. For this occasion, ab_USO proposed Officina2, an intervention exploring themes of collective space-making and experimental urban practices.
Arno 2016
Since 1966, following the flood, the collective perception of the river has been linked to a sense of danger. This project by ab-USO, commissioned by COOP, aimed to create a structure that both showcased the history of the river and offered playful furniture for public use.
Sant’O
Sant’Orsola is a large abandoned block in the city center of Florence. The ab-USO collective curated the temporary furnishings, realized with the material found inside the abandoned building site, for a three-day event organized by a local association to activate the space.
No flight zone
ab-USO was invited by the student collective of the Faculty of Chemistry in Florence to carry out a project in the courtyard of their building that had no furniture at all.
Loading Largo Annigoni
Bamb-you
We were invited by the artist Silvio Paladino to collaborate on the temporary opening of an abandoned garden in Via del Malcantone in Florence. We co-built a new “gate,” made of bamboo and designed to allow people to write words on it. We also created a path through the vegetation and several seating areas.
