Art and Architecture | Cloister of Peace

The project, named “Cloister of Peace”, began as a hypothesis of arrangement of the space between the buildings of the Rector and the Great Hall. It is an original concept by Ettore Sottsass jr. and it is completed by the installation of four sculptures by Enzo Cucchi. Also it is the result of a stable and consolidated partnership between the architect and the artist.

The idea of the cloister refer to the places of the ancient Peripatetic School, where the study and reflection fed also for meetings and breaks, and suggests the value of peace, contemplation, hospitality and friendship. The cloister is of small size, with a garden and two olive trees at the center. Four blue ceramic plates slightly inclined, forming the cover of the routes. The roof, supported by a metal structure, based on large pillars. The sculptures of Cucchi, modeled in clay, are four fountains fully functional. All the cloister is slightly raised with base of black slate. The sculptures of Cucchi were donated to the University by Salerno City Hall, the Province and the Campania Region.

The art work is a remarkable example of campus’ artistic and environmental enhancement. Opened May 22, 2006, the "Cloister of Peace" received on 28 February 2008, the Prize PAALMA allocated during La Triennale of Milan with a conference on "New Paths Public Art: Artist + Architect ".The event was accompanied by the publication of a volume on the Cloister, adequately illustrated and published by the Publisher Sossella Rome.