Today, the host broadcaster for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest – Rai – has unveiled the stage design for Turin’s PalaOlimpico. Designed by Francesca Montinaro, the concept is called The Sun Within.
Rai have teased that the stage for May’s contest will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen before at Eurovision! This year’s acts can look forward to performing alongside ‘a spectacular stage with the ability to showcase theatrical motion, which is framed by water and will have a lush Italian garden lapping up the rays in front of it.’
The artists and their teams will be hosted in a lush Italian garden, where vegetation mingles with rays of light, suspended between reality and illusion, transporting them to a playful and architectural dimension.
Francesca Montinaro, stage designer
The designer behind the concept is multimedia artist and stage designer Francesca Montinaro, whose portfolio includes The Ripped Backdrop stage for Sanremo 2013 and The Trampoline in the Clouds for Sanremo 2019.
Representing “Italian attitude”
The concept is deeply entrenched in Italian culture and hospitality:
The kinetic sun, source of spectacular movements and tricks of light, rules the stage and represents our Italian attitude: always on the move, rebellious, creative, welcoming, passionate, intuitive. We are the ones with the sun within, and this is our way to be in this world.
Francesca Montinaro, stage designer
However, the concept is also universal: Francesca also took inspiration from the inclusive nature of the contest:
The cascade of water that frames the stage, allegorically represents the sea that surrounds us, a symbol of our complex culture. The stage is our peninsula: a country where each contestant is welcomed, no matter where they are coming from.
Rai have teased that the stage will be both classic and modern at the same time, blending the digital with the analogue, demonstrating a range of light and movement.
Eurovision 2022 so far
A total seventeen Italian cities submitted their candidacy to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.
After a lengthy bidding process, Rai announced that The Grand Final will be held in Turin’s PalaOlimpico on Saturday 14 May with Semi-Finals on 10 and 12 May, with Eurovillage 2022 set to be located at Piazza San Carlo.
Earlier this month, it was announced that the 2022 contest will be hosted by Laura Pausini, Alessandro Cattelan and Mika. Also this month, filming of the podcasts began in Perugia, and then continued in Umbria.
Måneskin won the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with “Zitti E Buoni”, taking us to Italy for the first time since 1991. We will report as the preparations continue!
What do you think of the design? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to Eurovision 2022!
