Milan’s Tempio del Futuro Perduto recognised as cultural institution after five years

Milan venue Tempio del Futuro Perduto - translated to Temple of the Lost Future - has been recognised as a legal venue by the Municipality of Milan over five years since its initial opening.

The club and arts centre, situated inside an old disused train depo complex, Fabbrica del Vapore, in Milan’s Bullona district, was first occupied in January 2018 and uses 900 square metres of abandoned space for parties and cultural events.

The venue has been operating as a squat since its opening, and will now host legal events for the first time in its history, also making it the first independent multidisciplinary cultural centre recognised by Italian law.

As an institution, Tempio is run by a group of under 35-year-old artists to build communities with thanks to ‘humanitarian, creative, artistic and eco-sustainable activities’.

Announcing the news on Instagram yesterday, Tempio explained that the club was acquitted of trespassing and event organisation charges.

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“A victory on all fronts by the artists, who through urban regeneration and circular and solidarity economy practices such as the Muro Della Gentilezza, have been able to make themselves known and share a new model of socio-cultural centre in a virtuous and common sense way,” they explained.

Speaking to Mixmag, founding member Tommaso Dapri said that this decision comes at a particularly important moment following the draconian anti-rave laws which look to criminalise parties in unoccupied spaces across Italy.

“This is a very important event that we are particularly happy about, because, even though it happened differently from what we have always proposed and supported, it finally opened up a collaboration with the institutions and, most importantly, a direct channel of communication between them and the new generations of Milanese citizenship.”

“Thus, following the Berlin model, the existence of hybrid socio-cultural centres managed by young people without funding or sponsorships in abandoned and autonomously redeveloped spaces is recognised.”

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The space, which has been monitored, regenerated, and renovated over the years, also features a 1,000 square metres of garden made public and available to the surrounding community.

“All this was made possible only thanks to the tireless commitment of dozens of young volunteers and professionals,” Dapri tells Mixmag.

“In these years, they all put themselves on the line to guarantee the city a safe and inclusive space in which alternative cultures could express themselves and thousands of artists from all over the world could find a point of reference.”

To celebrate the victory, Tempio is set to throw a series of parties through Milan Design Week from April 18 to 23, where the venue will take charge of its programming and run a fully legal event for the first time as a cultural institution.

Find tickets to Tempio's forthcoming events here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter