School of Verticality is a public program about listening and learning from embodied, situated forms of knowing. Where on earth do we belong? Which forgotten nurturing practices can we bring to light and reinvent, together? The program unfolded in three episodes in dialogue with three locations during 2018-2019. Each episode interweaves different biographies (human, animal, territorial) and temporalities (of geology, history, biology, dreams, memory).
The first episode of School of Verticality, Weaving Gardens, was defined in close collaboration with the Donne Nissà association and the gardeners of the Semirurali garden of Bolzano. Together with social association Akrat, Sophie Krier installed a vertical loom in the garden, with the intention to create a collective fabric that would depict the cultural stories and memories of the garden.
Status
The woven fabric and collected voices are still in the process of being edited into an audiovisual installation, including a local podcast. The loom remains on site, where over the next few seasons it can intertwine with the local vegetation, and uses (having a rest, chatting). It is intentionally simplified, so it can also be used for other purposes (story telling, music podium, storage).
Programme Sept 2018
Weaving Garden flyer
On 22 September 2018, participants of the Semirurali Festa della Racolta (Harvest Festival) were invited to activate the loom by weaving their personal garden memories using the inclusive technique of plain weave. Visual anthropologist Francesca Cozzolino guided 1:1 conversations. Local weaver Cornelia Larcher assisted newcomers in the warp and weft logic. Singer Cecilia Muñoz proposed a celebratory dance from Argentina. With thanks to Semirurali garden coordinators Hilary Solly and Susanne Waiz.
Initially developed in the context of a research residency with cultural association Lungomare, Bolzano. Hosted by the community garden Orto Semirurali | Donne Nissà. All photos by Jörg Oschmann, courtesy Lungomare. Graphic design by Inedition.
