“IL GIARDINO PLANETARIO THE PLANETARY GARDEN”

The title is inspired by French philosopher Gilles Clement. This video installation is an allegory of the planet as a garden.

Ecological finiteness makes the limits of the biosphere appear as a closed space embracing all life.

In line with the title of DIVERSEartLA, diversity in this work refers to the number of distinct living species among animals, plants and simple beings (bacteria, viruses, etc.) that currently exist in only one species: humans. Contained in this one specie’s DNA is the diverse history of other species that have inhabited this planet before us and have left their traces not only in our DNA, but also in our cultural environment and the landscape that surrounds us.

The work is presented as an analysis of the landscape that brings to light the changing character of what seems “naturally” present: from the expanse of water in a tropical forest emerges a memory of the mountainous reliefs that previously covered this place, the sparse trees of the savannah, the grass of the bovine pastures in the Alps... An organized whole, according to the possibilities offered by the survey, the exposures, the accesses and what our gaze can embrace from a peak.

The alternation of different climates has turned the environment into a carpet woven with dark and rough shapes: the forests; alternating with light surfaces, the grass that furrows the landscape animates it with curved perspectives re-launched by a gentle and deep relief. The balance of shadows and lights is driven by a dynamic whose evolutionary process one can only guess, one in which we appeared last minute, one that made us extremely complex.

Presented in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) in Los Angeles

The Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles is an overseas office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation dedicated to the promotion of Italian culture in the United States. The main activities of the IIC include the organization and support of events, exhibitions and festivals, the development of academic exchange programs, and the promotion of the Italian language.