Terracotta pots are the protagonists of the MAXXI art installation in Venice
Increase environmental knowledge and awareness.
This is the goal of BioGrounds, the artistic project undertaken by the “MAXXI Foundation”, the museum of contemporary art in Rome, on the Certosa Island in Venice and inaugurated in May 2023.
BioGrounds combines the idea of a biological-educational garden (Bio) and that of a “playground” (Grounds). The project includes 3 installations that have been designed to become an integral part of the island over time.
The integration between man and nature
Terracotta pots are the protagonists of one of the three installations: Invasi.
The design duo of this installation is made up of Andrea Anastasio and Angela Rui, who collaborated with Euganea Vasi, as the supplier of the pots, and Florim, who created the engraved stoneware lids with messages on environmental awareness.
Invasi is an experiential space that aims to bridge the gap between man and the environment, marked by the presence of assemblages of terracotta pots of various sizes, partly filled with earth and plants, partly empty or transformed into dens for small mammals, birds, or molluscs, which delimit spaces and allow themselves to be absorbed by the landscape, becoming an active part of it.
The reversal of the concept of invasion
Over time, it will become increasingly difficult to distinguish man’s work from nature’s, inviting visitors to listen differently to the natural space and landscape.
The installation takes the form of a natural park of about two thousand square meters where the pots are discovered by people during the walk as if they were archaeological finds.
The designed landscape overturns the idea of invasion: here it is nature that reclaims human artefacts.
And so, the role of the person also undergoes a reversal: no longer a coloniser of space, but an observer and listener who, through their senses, can get in tune with the environment.
Ecosystem awareness
Some of the pots have been closed with stoneware lids, waterjet cut, with phrases and data that complete the narrative of the art installation.
Being etched, the lids leave space for seeds and seedlings to enter.
They are strong messages that report numbers and percentages, of a scientific nature, such as “Plant species produce 70% of the calories consumed by humanity”, “70,000 plant species are utilised for medicine”, “86% of the biomass is made by plants. Animals account for 0.3%”.
Alongside these, there are others of a more value-based and motivational nature, such as “Plants are life”, “Plants are conscious”, and “Plants are diffused organization”.
They all share the same goal: to generate awareness about the importance of the natural ecosystem for life.
More than a pot
You can learn more about this topic and find many other interesting insights in our “More than a pot” magazine dedicated to terracotta pots.
