Shaping the Ground

Shaping the Ground was an experience born from the desire to understand the dynamics involving the cultivation of fruit trees in the Monti Prenestini area, trying to reach a common vision on how the local arboreal heritage can become a fundamental resource from an economic, cultural and tourist point of view. Shaping the Ground was also a moment of artistic participation, where a land art project came to fruition. A collective effort, an enrichment for the participants and for the population. This is the story of Shaping the Grund.

The challenge carried out by Liminal in collaboration with Gaël Glaudel x Landscape First is to be considered a journey within the agricultural fabric of the Monti Prenestini, in search of a common denominator in the cultivation of fruit trees belonging to species of particular interest, species that contribute to local biodiversity and the maintenance of a peculiar landscape. The aim was not only to analyze a part of this botanical heritage, but also to create an artistic installation that could pay homage to agricultural practice and its main protagonists, the trees.

It all started with a single tree in mind. The reflection seemed obvious, yet it would have led to results of “simple complexity”.  What is a tree? And what leads us to want to exalt it as a single specimen? A tree is a living being, first of all, a fundamental element of the landscape, in particular the rural one. But it is also a symbol, an icon, an organism that produces wealth and food. These are the reasons why the interventions were aimed at exalting some individuals of the tree population.

The research into the tree was not limited to a single glance, but has led to an accurate mapping of specific areas, finding a variety of species, habits and management which have shown how not only is the tree a productive element, but also a true distinctive sign of the territory. From this comes the observation of the exemplary tree according to three kingdoms. That of the visible, which includes trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. That of the invisible, the rhizosphere found underground. And that of the immaterial, what we perceive but do not touch, the shadow, the movement given by the wind, the sunlight that passes through the foliage.

It was necessary to play with these elements, and of course, with all the materials that nature would kindly make available, for example branches, bark, grasses, and leaves. The use of these materials would have varied from specimen to specimen, all interventions should have shared a set of principles: simplicity of implementation, repeatability, meaning.

Giving meaning to such site-specific environmental art installations required a deep knowledge of the tree specimens, as well as everything that revolves around their world: cultivation techniques, botanical characteristics, what they produce and what historical aspects these trees represent. These notions were clarified both by prior research and by information acquired on site, through discussions with local farmers.

It was also necessary to ask ourselves a very important question. Can these peculiar elements of the rural landscape be supporters of a link between the countryside and the city, through the mediation of artistic intervention, ensuring that the city is attracted by the countryside, or is it the latter that must tend towards urbanity? The answer probably embraces these two realities simultaneously.

The trees suitable for the installation were selected on the land of agriturismo La Mandera, in the municipality of Rocca di Cave, according to three criteria: the species, the planting pattern and the status (cultivated or wild). Five trees were chosen: the first, a large chestnut, is representative of that type of productive trees that we try to preserve and make known in the area; in fact, the “marrone biondo” of Rocca di Cave is famous, a sweet fruit suitable for multiple preparations. This chestnut is a tree that is part of a larger, more widespread system, namely the chestnut system. The specimen is grafted, well cared in every aspect, from the soil cleaning to the necessary pruning.

The following three trees are instead part of a different system, the linear system of border trees, which trace a separation between two different zones, a path and a lawn area. The first, a hazelnut, straddles the world of the wild and that of the cultivated. Attacked by brambles and forced by other vegetation, its position in the middle is denoted by a lack of pruning to remove suckers and to select the best trunks. The second is a towering wild pear tree, surrounded by wild vegetation (hawthorn and blackthorn), brambles and herbs. It belongs completely to the world of the wild, born by chance and valuable precisely because of its unusual nature. The third specimen, a walnut, is also a very important productive tree for the area, providing the delicious Rocca di Cave walnut. Although belonging to the cultivation sphere, the soil under the plant had some invasive species. Finally, one last tree was chosen, again a walnut, this time alone in the middle of a meadow. It represents the sum of all productive trees, the essence of an immense tree population of the Prenestini Mountains.

The idea was to create an installation that could enhance the tree as a fundamental element for the landscape, not only from the point of view of production and ecosystem services, but also as a symbol of a territory, a source of subsistence for generations in the past, and a new relaunch for the future. The exaltation experiment also had to focus on how the tree is perceived, and on the agricultural practices that accompany its growth; important practices for landscape care, which harmoniously connect production, tourism, history and nature. The desire for the artwork was to develop in an evolutionary path in stages, from a base more oriented towards the rural world to an artistic sublimation. The material to be used had to be closely linked to local nature, and for this reason chestnut leaves and burrs were chosen, which were abundant in the season of construction.

The first step was to pick all the necessary material near the chestnut tree. The harvesting created a void around the tree, proposing a first tangible sign of the intervention. A circle which, through material and chromatic contrast, identifies a buffer area around the tree. Leaves, burrs and plants have been completely removed, leaving only the chestnuts for later harvesting. This void balances the covering that has been created near the other arboreal specimens. There was no addition or loss of material, the equilibrium of this portion of the landscape was maintained.

Cleaning actions were carried out beforehand on the soil beneath the chosen trees, with the removal of weeds, rocks and any waste. Then the ground was levelled, softening the slope where necessary. The wildest trees have also been pruned to give them a more regular shape, sukers and dry branches have been removed, and from time to time, plants of small or medium height have also been maintained, as in the case of the wild pear, where blackthorns and hawthorns create a vegetal composition at the base of the main plant. The care of the tree and the cleaning of the land were an integral part of the artwork, as well as the subsequent reference to the practice of mulching to protect the crops.

Once all the material from the chestnut grove had been gathered, different types of “mulch” were developed for the types of trees chosen, following the idea of ​​the evolving path from agriculture to artistic practice, from disorder to harmony, from necessity to decoration. Under the hazelnut tree, a chaotic set of leaves seems to emerge from the ground and from the base of the trunks, spreading forcefully like a stain, losing density as it moves further away from the tree. The gesture of scattering the leaves is protective but devoid of logical rigor, it is pure care of the tree.

The wild pear is associated with a flow of leaves that simulates a water surface, a movement of colors that embrace trunks, rocks and outline the delicate morphology of the land. There is still chaos, but controlled, in this reference to a zen garden, with trees and stones acting as a counterpoint to the sea of ​​gravel, in this case leaves. Water, although not present, is ideally the supporting element of this private, humid and welcoming corner. The edge that delimits the advance of the leaves begins to take shape, although remaining fluid and not well defined.

Continuing, the first walnut is associated with a mesh ordered into bands, where the orientation of the leaves provides a gradation of texture. The geometric order is the regulator of this covering, a large space that seems to reverberate from the trunk of the tree. The arrangement of the leaves generates a visual movement, accompanying the path towards the next stage. The boundary between the work and the land is clear and precise, as are the lines that amplify the growth rings. Constructing this part of the work was not easy, due to the continuous wind which at times lifted entire parts already laid on the ground. Yet, in those who made it, it formed like a meditative loop, where the wind became a sort of breathing, which was followed by a state of calm.

Passing under a short tunnel formed by the branches of a willow, you reach the last tree, another walnut, solitary in the field that belongs to it. It is the tree par excellence, in itself it takes on the spirit of every other tree, and becomes the destination and refuge of the artistic journey. Here the mulch completely loses its rural character, transforming into a woven carpet, a flooring that recalls wooden inlays, composed of meticulously arranged leaves and chestnuts burrs. The decoration determines a sacred space, a place to be reached but not exceeded, an arboreal sanctuary where the mind is lost among the ground, trunk, branches and the sky beyond. A sparse blanket of garlands of burrs creates a permeable border that induces the gaze to cross the space, while blocking the body. The tree and its protection induce one to stop, for a meditative moment. The reflection remains personal, towards the inside or outside of the shelter of leaves, with the tree acting as the guardian of these thoughts.

A breath of wind, a quick rain, and everything ends. The extremely ephemeral character of this environmental artwork is linked to the incessant modification of the landscape, the passage of time and cyclicality. Leaves falling and settling, women and men who tirelessly work the land and take care of trees and land, who love their territory and demonstrate this love by preserving its beauty. Fragile beauty, ephemeral like carpets of leaves.