Art & Beverage for the envoirment in Milan

An environmentally themed photography exhibition and installation that will run for only a few days, promoted by a winery and a gin brand, opened yesterday in Milan

Two striking art events dedicated to the environment, both staged for only a few days in Milan starting May 11. And both promoted by two beverage entities: a wine company and a gin brand.

Occupying Piazza XXV Aprile from May 11 to 15, 2022 will be the work of internationally renowned designer Matteo Cibic, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of the health of the sea. An inauguration that falls, by the way, on the very same day that the Senate gave final approval to the so-called "Salvamare law" for the recovery of waste at sea and the promotion of the circular economy. The work, titled Neptunia, was conceived with Hendrick's for the launch of the new Neptunia Gin, a limited edition distillate flavored with botanicals from the Ayrshire coast of Scotland, 100% sustainably grown and harvested through green-oriented sources: a gin with a herbaceous, brackish taste, to present which the bartenders of eight of the most renowned Milanese bars were involved, called upon to compose custom marine-themed cocktails.
But the product's green approach is part of the more concrete sustainability project carried out by Hendrick's with the zeroCO2 and Worldrise associations, which are engaged in the reforestation of 100 m² of seabed tract in Sardinia with as many as 2,500 Posidonia oceanica plants. Posidonia, which despite its name is typical only of the Mediterranean Sea, is an aquatic plant (not a seaweed) that makes up the seagrass, performing fundamental functions for the marine environment and beyond: from providing a den for different fish species, to protecting the seabed from erosion, to producing oxygen, which the plant releases to the tune of 20 liters per day per square meter. Thus, the seabed reforestation project in Sardinia would ensure a new daily oxygen source of as much as 2,000 liters.
To evoke that vital function, Cibic's artwork was also created with a fluid system of microalgae capable of converting an amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to the work of 18 thousand mᶾ of trees. "Neptunia," the artist explains, "is a futuristic work that, through the photosynthesis process of microalgae, transforms carbon dioxide into oxygen. The technology that makes it innovative is the result of targeted research in the field of bio-reactors and microalgae, and it is crucial because it contributes to the reduction of the greenhouse effect. My hope is that the installation, in addition to raising awareness of the importance of the health of the sea, will also stimulate younger people to study and, as a result, implement new technologies useful for safeguarding the Planet." The work, which recalls the sea in its curved, flowing lines and in the Triton trident above it, is made partly of recycled plastic and accommodates a seat where one can sit and have a multisensory experience with the scents and smells of the sea. All this, in the very center of Milan. 

Again the environment, but this time the hilly environment of Valdobbiadene, which is recognized as a UNESCO heritage site in 2019, is the focus of the photography exhibition "A disegnar le vigne" by Lorenzo Cicconi Massi, scheduled from May 11 to 29 at STILL Fotografia (via Zamenhof, 11, Milan). The exhibition, curated by Denis Curti, presents a selection of 28 images by the Marche-based photographer, recounting a year of rhythms, thoughts and emotions among the vineyards of the historic Le Colture farm, located in Santo Stefano di Valdobbiadene (TV) and owned by the same family since 1500. "Ours is a wonderful and generous land," says Veronica Ruggeri, co-owner of the farm, "and we felt the need to find a way to pay homage to it. A disegnar le vigne is, first of all, an editorial project, published by Marsilio last 2021, but now it is being shown to share with everyone the representation of an authentic Valdobbiadene, of those farmers who believed and still believe in their land. It is dedicated to Santo Stefano di Valdobbiadene and our farm as a testimony." Cicconi Massi's simple and direct shots recount, with a fairy-tale look and the use of black and white, a year of agricultural rituals, faces and emotions that are born and evolve in the vineyards of Valdobbiadene, a place that the artist himself described as "amazing, in which you look in admiration at the maze of narrow streets that creep into the vineyards and the hills so round and then suddenly sharp. It feels like entering a beautiful drawing, made by a child." A magical place, that of the DOCG, set among hills declared a World Heritage Site for their inestimable landscape value, which stands as a bulwark of naturalistic integrity in response to the neighboring, heavily anthropized and ever-discussed Prosecco DOC area.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)