The art of Pinuccio Sciola returns to the Venice Biennale and does so with “Lithic Chords / Corda Litica” , a monumental installation that pays homage to the vision of the master from San Sperate. Exhibited inside the historic Arsenale as part of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, the work invites the public to live a multisensory experience where architecture, sound, geology and memory intertwine. The structure is 21 meters long in total and is made of stone leftovers: in the project, the synergy between stone and steel, articulated through a well-defined structural system, echoes the internal mechanics of a string instrument .

Inspired by Sciola's famous Pietre Sonore, which the artist considered "memory of the universe", Corda Litica carries forward his deepest intuition: stone is not inert matter, but a living surface that, if caressed, resonates and tells a story. The project was signed by architect-designer Cristina Morbi (Studio Maetherea), structural engineer Francesco Banchini and sound artist Andrea Granitzio, in collaboration with the Pinuccio Sciola Foundation.

"Through the dialogue between the history of materials, structural innovation and sensorial perception - Cristina Morbi details - Lithic Chords invites visitors to interact with stone in unexpected, tactile and auditory ways. It is an exploration of the deep memory of materials, of geological resonance and of the invisible forces that shape our environment, offering a reformulated perspective on stone as a dynamic and performative element, that breathes, vibrates and interacts with the geology of time".

" A heartfelt thanks to the Sciola Foundation that allowed the stones of our lithic cord to resonate in the Venice arsenal - adds Banchini - The greatest satisfaction for a designer consists in observing the public that remains enchanted by his own creation: the music of the Pietre Sonore has revealed itself to be the essential ingredient that is enchanting the visitors of the Biennale".

«When Cristina Morbi contacted me asking me to give life to the stone of Lithic Chords – says Granitzio – it was natural to think of the sounds of the Sound Stones, a perfect synthesis of the aesthetics of the project, which includes elasticity, movement and, therefore, vibration/sound. It is an honor to be able to carry forward and see the fruits of Pinuccio Sciola's intuitions, which continue to inspire interdisciplinary projects and artistic productions all over the world». Visiting the installation also means coming across the sounds of the Sound Stones, used specifically by Andrea Granitzio, «with the aim of delimiting and defining the spaces of use of the structure – explains the musician – allowing visitors to act as impromptu composers and to transform the stone into a sound structure with their presence. The 7 types of stones that make up Lithic Chords correspond to just as many sounds, activated with a dynamic and interactive proximity system: walking around the sculpture generates melodies and harmonies, coming from sources hidden from view. A final point returns the sum of all the sounds put together. The implementation of the Lithic Chords audio setup was possible thanks to the precious collaboration with Riccardo Sarti, professor of Musical Informatics at the Conservatory of Sassari, and Paolo Pastorino, professor of electroacoustic musical composition at the Conservatory of Cagliari, and the funding of the Fondazione di Sardegna».