Image: Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, Turin
Created in collaboration with Juventus, Paul Pfeiffer’s intervention extends beyond the billboard to include an immersive sound installation. ‘Vitruvian Figure (Juventus)’ was commissioned and produced by Pinacoteca Agnelli for the second edition of the Premio Pista 500, in collaboration with Artissima.
Under the Bolla, the sound work recreates a dialogue between Juventus ultras and their chant leader, using a live recording made at Turin’s Allianz Stadium during the Juventus–Inter match on 13 September 2025, which Juventus won 4–3.
For the billboard, Pfeiffer used 3D-modelling software to digitally expand the Allianz Stadium to a capacity of one million seats. The image seems to suggest that technology could eventually bridge the gap between collective physical interaction and virtual experiences mediated by individual digital screens.
Since the 1990s, Pfeiffer, born in Honolulu in 1966, has developed an interdisciplinary practice spanning video, photography, sound, installation and sculpture. His work frequently examines moments designed for mass audiences, including sporting events and concerts, through ideas of spectacle, pop culture and celebrity worship in contemporary society. ‘Vitruvian Figure (Juventus)’ also engages with Turin’s history, particularly the Lingotto, a site associated with performativity, speed and the production of the automobile, a mass-consumption object described as a symbol of desire and veneration.
Through its clear reference to Vitruvius, the author of the only architectural treatise to survive from antiquity, the work projects an ancient architectural tradition into a hypothetical future through a digitally manipulated stadium. It leaves viewers to consider the possible urban, behavioural, social and political implications of that projection.
