Mauro Guidolin, landscape architect
The concept
Nemesis, the personification of balance, leads to the contact with the elements of the myth of Narcissus so as to test acts of seductive narcissism, today enhanced by social networks. Seduction is for men the driving tension towards what makes them feel good, but the myth warns about the need of Katà Métron, the right measure.
The interview
What is the last book you read? And what will be the next one?
The last book I read is “Diary of a body” by Daniel Pennac. The next one I would like to read is “Around the world in eighty days” by Jules Verne.
Your next trip?
Northern France, Normandy and Brittany. To see the cold, wind-swept landscapes and the encounters/clashes between the ocean and the dark coast.
Favourite colour?
I think green … but not all greens!
What is the plant that matters most to you?
None in particular. If I really had to choose, I think I would opt for the hornbeam, a versatile and strong plant for which I have a certain sympathy.
Where would you live?
Bologna! But in a house with a garden. In this period of quarantine I live in a house with a garden, which I believe it is lifesaving. Whatever the city, I certainly wouldn’t want to live close to a busy road.
What is your favourite historical era?
Compared to what? Each era has had its own aspects of appeal as well as its problems. Of course, if I was asked “the era in which you want to live?” I would say the current one, there is nothing better in Europe!
Can you describe in short a scene that represents “beauty and elegance” for you?
It may seem strange, but when my guys on the construction site know what they have to do, everything develops in a harmonious manner, their movements are safe and the result is certain. That is elegance and beauty!
What is a garden for you?
“What are gardens?” should be asked first. In my opinion, anything could be. For me, however, it is something capable of expressing beauty through vegetation.
What is seduction for you?
Seduction is the trigger, the starting of the human engine. It is the first encounter with a passion: first you are seduced, then you acquire a passion. Passion then pushes towards goals and the will of man to act.