Reading about Yamaha‘s layouts and assembly instructions to help you create realistic papercraft motorcycle models this morning (via MIT Ad Lab and Make), i couldn’t help but think about the exhibition i saw yesterday at the Fondazione Merz in Turin.

Three Vespa Piaggio model PX 150 (a re-edition of the mythic model) were hanging from the gallery’s ceiling. One was intact, the second one had only the outer parts dismantled but the last one had been meticulously disassembled. As the installation was called “Miracolo Italiano” (Italian Miracle) it was a great piece of advertisement for the bike maker.

The artist had done something similar before with a 1976 Volkswagen Beetle. See the pictures of the installation at the Venice Biennial 2003 and at the ICA in 2002.

i could only take three pictures as one of the (surprisingly aggressive) guards was making sure that i didn’t forget that cameras were not allowed in the building.

Related: paper replicas of vintage Panasonic household appliances.