Mario Mariani and Matteo Boccardo, landscapers
The concept
‘Why does a crow look like a desk?’
– Dedicated to Alice in Wonderland –
Rationality and imagination collide along the path of aging without becoming an adult.
The surreal struggle between rationality and imagination is represented in this garden.
The interview
What is the last book you read? And what will be the next one?
Mario: ‘Plants of Armenia’. The next one will be: ‘Giardini in viaggio’ (Travelling gardens) by Laura Pirovano.
Matteo: ‘Teaming with microbes’. The next one will be ‘Rocce della Liguria’ (Rocks of Liguria).
Your next trip?
Mario: Socotra
Matteo: The gardens of the North of France
Favourite colour?
Mario: PANTONE 17-5641 TCX Emerald.
Matteo: I have no favourite colour but if we talk about plants, it is definitely green.
What is the plant that matters most to you?
Mario: The Xanthoceras in front of the stained glass window in the hall.
Matteo: Many of the plants in my garden are related to a person or a memory. I particularly care about a Pulmonaria collected in the last walks I took with my grandmother.
Where would you live?
Mario: Now here, then in a house by the sea, but half under the sea.
Matteo: I like secluded places, possibly among the nature of the pre-Alps.
What is your favourite historical era?
Mario: Before man.
Matteo: The roaring twenties.
Can you describe in short a scene that represents “beauty and elegance” for you?
Mario: A king cobra sinuously crawling between bamboos in search of the sun.
Matteo: The golden grasses of a mountain plateau moved by a light late summer wind.
What is a garden for you?
Mario: A garden is a cultural ecosystem touching music, art and philosophy.
Matteo: A garden is a refuge from time and space that we create for our well-being, so with my work I like to build places where people can feel good.
What is the fairy tale for you?
A means to remain children