Let’s start from the roots, how does your story begin?
It begins in the wild Lunigiana. I grew up with my hands in the soil, then pursued artistic studies in search of a means of expression. And thus, I returned to nature, breathing among the mountains, traveling whenever possible, and spending six months in Latin America: there, deep in the forest, I understood that I can only express what I feel through plants and the reproduction of fantastic ecosystems. Back in Italy, I work as a gardener in a company that allows me to gain experience and unleash my creativity.
Who are the people who have inspired you the most artistically and professionally?
In high school, I was lucky to have teachers who helped me open my eyes and observe, to close my eyes and see, to appreciate simplicity. I have always loved the places, subjects, and surreal, fantastic, and paradoxical atmospheres of Max Ernst, Escher, De Chirico, Bosch, as well as the vital and impressionistic touch of Monet and Renoir. I then found the same harmony of shapes and colors in the gardens of Piet Oudolf, in a successful combination of natural and “built”, in the original overturning of spaces that allows classical forms to be modern and primordial.
How does nature inspire your projects and lifestyle?
Nature is what keeps me alive. I tried to live in the city but find relief only in the natural elements that sporadically appear among the concrete and asphalt, as if I have a scanner that only reads the color green. Living in a place where nature abounds, I have always tried to learn as much as possible, without ever losing wonder. Spontaneous landscapes make me understand that the greatest challenge is to approach the simplicity of nature. A simplicity so complex that it nourishes the curiosity and admiration of a thousand lives.
The trip you most want to take.
In my travels, I seek authentic and wild environments, such as the heart of the Amazon, the forests of Costa Rica and Colombia, or the mountain plateaus of Japan. Delicate environments with an expiration date. For this reason, like a child, I want to be surprised by the colors, shapes, scents, and sounds of a world far away but familiar. As my next journey, I would choose the rainforests of Borneo, custodians of countless plant and animal species increasingly threatened by urbanization.
If you could be the main character in a movie, which one would you choose?
With a tendency to daydream and coming from a rural environment, I can’t help but see myself in Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist of The Hobbit. Bilbo has seen societies inspired by nature for their homes, and in nature they live in balance; he has seen others that have found fortune in the depths of the earth. He set out and returned more complete, with eyes full of experience and a sharper, more expert, and imaginative mind. And despite everything, he remains closely tied to his county. Like me, dreaming of the Amazon, I remain tied to my Lunigiana.
If you could make a tribute to the earth (soil), what would it be?
I would like to instill in every human being the awareness that the earth we walk on nourishes us with what we nourish it. If we understood the importance of the soil, and how we treat and manage it, there would be more respect for it. More protection from both public and private entities, at the expense of economic and aesthetic interests. I would like us to realize that disrespecting nature is disrespecting our future: sacrificing our comfort for a more sustainable world is not a real sacrifice but a symbol of the adaptability that has ensured the prosperity of our species.
If your project were music, what track would it be?
Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major. The music alone is enough to imagine the slow and steady deposition of matter and the rapid and sudden growth of life; the bass notes repeating throughout give me the image of something descending, like dancing leaves or heavy raindrops, or brief gusts of wind piling up matter in the corners. And like a seed bursting open with force, here come the Baroque violins to make the shoot grow, to nourish it and lead it toward the light, in a primordial symphony that accompanies us toward a future that is not easy but hopeful. To break the idyll, the sounds of the earth exploding, of fire crackling and consuming, of man screaming to the world his illusory dominance, would be necessary.
Which plant do you reflect yourself in and why?
I have always been fascinated by ferns and their primitive will to live. I admire their simple and complex shapes, the beauty of the fronds unfurling like hands eager to open. I esteem their ability to adapt to every situation for millions of years, while maintaining their unmistakable way of presenting themselves: thousands of species similar but unique because of the different environments they inhabit. I see myself a lot in a tree fern (Cyathea delgadii, observed for a long time in Costa Rica) that, supported by a slender “trunk” almost unsuitable for sustaining its wide canopy, captures a few more rays of light and enjoys the view from above.
What does Avant gardening mean to you?
Avant gardening breaks free from the concept of the garden as a room of the house outdoors. It breaks its immobility and composure and opens the door to nature and change. It wants to move. Avantgardening makes us part of the changing seasons and years, of their impact on the landscape: it gives surprises and accustoms us to lose the sense of control so deeply rooted in us. Good gardening looks not only at aesthetics but also at the plant’s well-being: it stops wanting to dominate nature and takes a back seat, letting itself be invaded by its denied spontaneous aspect for centuries.
Five words for you closely related to the concept of land (soil).
Bio
Davide Boschetti was born in Massa in 1993 to a family of farmers and spent his childhood in Lunigiana. From the very beginning, he showed a keen manual dexterity and an unstoppable need to create: he is passionate about animals, plants, gardening, and art. Thanks to a small local company, since 2019 he has been able to turn his passions into a profession, working in gardens: from design to implementation, from botanical consulting to training new colleagues.
