Plaza welcomes Italy

COSTA MESA — A cluster of white umbrellas stood in the center of South Coast Plaza’s second-level parking lot Wednesday afternoon, shading buckets of dirt, cardboard boxes of flowers and the beginning touches of one of the most famous images in the world.

As the clock ticked toward the opening of “Italy at South Coast Plaza” today, a group of five American and Italian artists prepared to work overnight on recreating Michelangelo’s painting “The Creation of Adam.” The medium, however, was not paint but flowers and other organic materials — and so the team waited to do most of its work in the evening when the heat wouldn’t pose a problem.

“The sun hasn’t helped because it’s scorching,” said Letizia Miccoli, a spokeswoman for the artists, who noted that the team usually worked in the shade of Sicilian buildings. “It’s such an open location, and the sun has not been accommodating.”

By today, the team expected to have completely replicated the Sistine Chapel painting with flower petals, stems, birdseed, ground coffee, rice and other natural objects. The installation, known as an infiorata, is set to go on public display this morning and remain on view through the weekend.

South Coast Plaza, in partnership with the Italian Trade Commission, created the monthlong “Italy at South Coast Plaza” exposition to immerse mall-goers in fashion, films, cuisine and more.

To complement the events inside the mall, organizers opted for an eye-catching visual symbol out front. The infiorata, on the top of the parking structure facing Bear Street, depicts the classic Renaissance image of God extending his finger from heaven and giving life to humankind.

“Michelangelo laid on his back,” said project leader Danny Leone, whose team has created infioratas in Italy, Israel and San Francisco. “These guys kneel on their knees.”

It looked to be a grueling night of work ahead, but the artists — Corrado Roccaro, Carmen Roccaro and Valentina Mammana from Noto, Sicily, and Aimee Baldwin and Anandamayi Arnold from the Bay Area — received valuable assistance from the locals. Members of the Orange County Italian Cultural Assn. stopped by to cut flowers, while the Feed Barn in Costa Mesa and the Mayesh flower shop in Santa Ana provided materials.

Despite their attention to detail, the infiorata team made one concession: In this version of the painting, Adam sports a fig leaf, and a genuine one to boot.

“I guess they found it on a local fig tree,” Miccoli said.

DID YOU KNOW?

The following are facts about Michelangelo’s original artwork:

 Physicians have noted a resemblance between God in the fresco and an anatomically accurate image of the human brain.

 Michelangelo finished the Sistine Chapel paintings in less than four years.

 A restoration effort in the 1980s and 1990s sparked a controversy over whether the process, which revealed vivid colors and altered sculptural qualities, contradicted Michelango’s artistic intentions. The issue remains contentious among historians, artists and related experts.

For a photo slideshow, click here.

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].