In recent years, the world has been confronted with crises that have left no one indifferent. From the devastation of the pandemic to the widespread increase of atmospheric temperatures in cities, both of which have resulted in an overwhelming number of deaths. A recent study indicates that if cities extend tree coverage by up to 30%, temperatures can drop by half a degree Celsius during summer heat waves. Individually this may seem like a miniscule endeavor, however collectively it could prove otherwise.
Incepting the potential of this shared endeavor, we have developed a collective action in three stages: deconstruction, activation, grow green. The concept assembles a gathering structure with a collection of seedlings. Scaffolding is reinterpreted as a light and reusable system – a strategy that is not only easily installed, reinstalled and reused, but can also eventually be repurposed and reactivated. An invitation to take the seedlings home generates a performance, rather than a temporary installation. As a live artistic space and social tool, the project rethinks the way we relate to each other and influence our environment. It also offers the potential of a dynamic process based on participation, the chance to Grow Together Grow Green.
The project is conceived as an interactive and replicable intervention that will be tested for the first time at Milan’s Fuorisalone. Aligned with the festival motto, the installation titled Grow Together Grow Green is a modular structure, covered with seedlings typical in the region, which will be distributed during the days of the event. These will initially green the location but will then disappear as visitors register for seedlings to plant in the city. Registering forms a sense of responsibility, as registrants are called to take care of the seedling and to document the process via the event instagram and website, from collection at the event to the final planting in one’s own garden or in the allocated Parco Nord Milan, in collaboration with the project Forestami – creating an intervention that will be completed only through a collective and mindful participation.
Courtesy of INTERNI Magazine, photography by Paolo Consaga.