These days in Florence it is all anyone is talking about: the construction that has sprung up in the place of the former Municipal Theater has raised a storm in the city, and not only because of the appearance of the new building under construction, already ironically dubbed “the black cube” because of its not exactly discreet profile that towers above the nineteenth-century buildings that line the Vespucci riverfront. The intervention is still nearing completion, but its bold lines are already clearly visible and have provoked mixed reactions(here Federico Giannini’s editorial on the subject), although most of the interventions plump for the critical chorus that denounces a visual and symbolic impact too strong for the surrounding urban context.
But as is often the case in our time, even before official statements and expert analysis, it was social media that gave voice to popular sentiment. And they did so with the network’s sharpest and most immediate tool: the meme. In just a few days, satirical images depicting the “black cube” in surreal, paradoxical or overtly ironic versions multiplied, turning an architectural topic into a social phenomenon. Beyond the laughter, it remains a sign of a city that observes, reacts, and participates. Memes are not just a digital game: they are the thermometer of a public opinion that wants to have its say on the face Florence is taking on. At a time when urban transformation seems unstoppable, the case of the “black cube” shows how the relationship between ancient and modern is still a delicate terrain, and how beauty, in a city like Florence, remains as much an objective as an emotional issue.
In this article, we have collected the ten most shared, brilliant or provocative memes that have arisen around the new building that has sprung up in place of the former Municipal Theater, to recount the debate also through the light-hearted, yet meaningful, gaze of collective humor.
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| Florence's black cube: the 10 funniest memes |
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