Report by Ms. Bruna Rondoni, the City of Cervia, Italy
This year, the Municipality of Cervia celebrated 20 years of participation in the event by students and teachers of the Master’s Degree in Urban Green and Landscape Design and Management (ProGeVUP) of the University of Pisa. The plant painting depicts energy in its purest form—namely WATER, SUN and WIND—symbols of an ever-expanding green energy, created with marigolds, white and blue lobelia in a bed of Dichondra repens (a creeping groundcover, commonly known as kidney weed).
The theme of energy is accompanied by the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombs that hit Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945), with the Zen Garden, symbol of Japan. The elements used are gravel, stones, bamboo and plants, the latter planted in odd numbers in accordance with Japanese culture.
The perception of the energy transmitted by the garden is at its maximum when entering barefoot, in order to connect with the elements present, perceive the roughness of the stone, the softness of the lawn, the sharpness of the gravel and the smoothness of the bamboo, and feel a sense of belonging with the surrounding environment. The installation with the bamboo depicting the writing NIHON (Japan) in ideograms, gives verticality and three-dimensionality to the project.
For more details, please refer to: https://www.cerviacittagiardino.it/en/gardens/university-of-pisa/
You can also watch a video of their activity with English subtitles here: https://vimeo.com/1113504113/29b4b6ea3a
Photos: courtesy of the City of Cervia