Hylonicum

Light and residues, by Nicola Polloni

Urban Schematics

Passages

Urban passages are places marked by a deep tension between the simplicity of their minimal function and the celebration of human proximity. What is a passage, after all, if not a connection to be walked through and crossed in order to reach where we want to go? And yet the street is also the place where buildings, each with its own function, form, and materiality, offer themselves to the personal and public experience of the city. Passages thus become embellished, more complex, and more individual: they acquire signs, surfaces, and distinctive features through which they communicate with the people who move through them. This sequence unfolds in the absence of that human interlocutor, while the traces of the messages addressed to them remain.

A narrow alley runs between tall brick buildings, with fire escapes and distant high-rises visible ahead.
A narrow stone passage with steps rises between old walls, pipes, plants and small built additions.
A service alley runs between brick buildings lined with ducts, air-conditioning units and wheeled bins.
An empty covered passage runs between old buildings beneath an ornate iron-and-glass canopy.
A long covered walkway recedes through repeating metal arches.
A market street runs beneath a decorative arched canopy, with small figures walking between stalls.
Narrow stone street leading up a flight of steps to an ornate arched doorway framed by columns.
A wet cobbled street climbs between historic buildings and parked cars.
A steep empty street descends between rows of brick houses beneath a cloud-filled sky.
A narrow water channel curves between weathered urban buildings.
A waterfront path follows the edge of a canal toward historic buildings and a distant church tower.
A long wooden walkway crosses calm water, with its railing reflected below.
A narrow Tokyo street runs between buildings with shutters, signs and overhead cables, with white road markings leading forward.
Narrow cobbled street enclosed by tall buildings and balconies, with an arch crossing the street in the distance.
Tram tracks run through a sequence of large arched passages as a tram approaches in the distance.
A broad pedestrian bridge crosses water toward a modern city skyline.
An empty pedestrian walkway runs beneath the steel structure of an elevated roadway.
Deep vaulted passageway opening onto a narrow street, with café tables along one side and small figures in the distance.
Series of massive stone arches receding through a covered arcade, with exposed brick vaulting above.
Dark arched passage framing a worn stone wall with a devotional image and two small balconies.
A narrow covered walkway follows the curved façade of a large modern building.
Graffiti-covered pedestrian underpass with concrete ramps and stairways winding around a central structure.
Dark brick-paved tunnel curving toward a bright opening, where a motorcycle stands silhouetted beside a railing.
Large archway framing a symmetrical building façade with balconies, shopfronts and two stone planters.

Places and dates
Fez, 2010; Rabat, 2011; Manchester, 2017; Chicago, 2018; Newcastle, 2019; Brussels, 2020; Geraardsbergen and Stockholm, 2021; Liège, 2022; Acre, 2023; Messina 2024; Tokyo, 2025; Benevento, Lecce, Prague, and Siena, 2026.