FRANCESCO GARUTICOMMUNITY TREES
Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.
Gary Snyder
Alberi Comuni (Community Trees) is a public-art project born from the transformation of trunks of trees felled due to structural problems, disease or extreme weather, into works capable of creating new relationships between the territory, nature and the community.
By reclaiming the tree's material, the project turns the loss of a tree into an occasion for knowledge, collective memory and participation.
The work thus becomes not just an artistic element placed in public space, but the centre of a shared cultural journey that can involve residents, schools and associations. Through workshops, botanical walks and performative experiences, new forms of storytelling and connection with the territory can emerge, turning the sculpture into a place of listening and reflection on the deep bond between trees, the environment and the community.
The artistic, educational and participatory activities are designed around the context and the people involved, so that every intervention can become a unique experience for the territory that hosts it. Some of the activities that can accompany the making of the work:
Botanical walk with poetry readings
a walk discovering the tree species of the area, accompanied by readings of poems by great authors dedicated to the trees encountered
Hang concert in nature
a concert immersed in nature, conceived as an experience of listening and connection with the place
Reading/performance "The Voice of the Oak"
an original performance of about 20 minutes in which an oak addresses humanity on the relationship between trees, plants and human beings
School activity "Getting to Know Trees"
an outdoor activity about the structure of the tree, its importance for our lives and the care of the local tree heritage, through observation and direct experience; it can be linked to a hands-on workshop
Botanical clay-printing workshop
using leaves, bark and other plant elements to press imprints and shapes into clay
Wood as Matter
moments open to the public during the carving of the sculpture, with insights into the characteristics of wood and the transformation of the material through the sculptor's work
Documentary "The Trees We Carry in Our Hearts"
interviews with residents starting from a simple question: is there a tree in your area you carry in your heart? The testimonies build a collective story of the community's bond with its trees, presented at a public event