Tornanti is a site-specific installation that transforms functional road signage into a hypnotic and abstract visual experience. The work is composed of six curve delineator modules (commonly known as "chevrons"), stripped of their roadside context and reinterpreted through a conceptual and spatial rotation.
In a standard road environment, these signs are arranged horizontally to guide the driver's eye along a curve. Papi, however, stacks them vertically, dismantling their primary function. This orientational shift triggers a powerful optical effect: the white arrows on a black background lose their nature as directional indicators and merge into a single, tight zigzag pattern. The result is a vibrant kinetic texture that appears to pulsate upon the wall—a rhythmic sequence of sharp angles and high contrasts.
The title Tornanti immediately evokes winding mountain roads where these signs are a constant presence. Yet, in this installation, the "road" is no longer a physical path to be traveled; it becomes a conceptual curve generated by the geometric overlapping of the modules. The installation thus transforms the urgency of traffic safety codes into the hypnotic stillness of art, inviting the viewer to lose themselves in a landscape of pure graphic signs, where the boundary between signal and abstraction permanently dissolves.
