4 _ Spazio Amorfini Garden “Hortus/Silva”
A few questions to Davide Boschetti
Let’s talk about Genesis—how did your story begin?
My journey started in the unspoiled nature of Lunigiana, that wild and often forgotten land nestled between the Apuan Alps, the Ligurian Sea, and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. I spent my childhood in close contact with plants and animals, constant companions in my growth, as much as people. After years of art studies and struggling with life surrounded by concrete, in my search for a way to express myself, I returned to a green landscape and to the breath of the mountains, holding on to a strong desire and curiosity to travel and explore. Even on those travels, my gaze and attention always fell on leaves, petals, or tree trunks—whether between buildings or deep in the forest. I realized my truest form of expression had to come through plants and the creation of small, natural yet imaginary worlds. For years now, I’ve worked as a gardener and landscape designer for a local company that’s given me the chance to grow professionally and freely express my creativity..
How does nature inspire your projects and lifestyle?
I believe any kind of creation begins with direct and mindful observation of nature—its volumes, balances, and seemingly random patterns. With those color combinations your eyes simply can’t look away from. Creating a landscape becomes a humble attempt to grasp and amplify that detail or sensation nature so freely gives us, and to make it accessible to all. I compulsively strive to respect and imitate nature as best I can, bringing a piece of it into the lives of everyone I meet. From my first school desk doodles to more complex sketches over the years, I’ve always been guided by natural elements—eternal protagonists, whether real or surreal. Even now, my work is driven by the same desire: to capture the essence of a natural environment, filter it, and translate it back with the discipline or spontaneity the place and time call for. Nature has always been my greatest travel companion, and now more than ever, I’m grateful to have lived it and to still feel it so close.
How do you imagine your “mental landscape” when you create? Are there real or imaginary places that guide you?
I’m guided as much by the land I was born in as by the one I long dreamed of and finally got to live. My mental landscape is made of dreams and sensations, dancing between light and shadow, scents, winds, and flavors. It’s a run through the woods, down the fields to find the steep path that leads to the river. It’s tall grass lashing at your legs under the sun, where a few wildflowers sway their heads in golden green. It’s the shelter of branches pushed aside with hands and forearms as you pass. It’s the cautious step not to crush the lone fern that clings to life on the trail. It’s soft moss alternating with hard stone, refreshed by trickling water. It’s the sound of water itself, smoothing the rocks, quenching life, falling from the sky to revive the meadows after a dry summer. It’s the green of May, stretching as far as the eye can see in endless tones and forms, changing over time, fading and returning again in a never-ending cycle.
Who are the people who have most inspired you artistically and professionally?
I believe every person we meet leaves a permanent mark on us, whether we like it or not—in our thinking, our behavior, and even our creative and professional paths. I think of my first teachers, who would comment—sometimes amused—on my fascination with catching lizards or bending over each flower. Then the ones who later encouraged me to sharpen my eye and would suggest adding just a touch of sandalwood red to a painting, because it “would look just right.” I’ve also drawn deep inspiration from the devotion I’ve seen in those who work the land and experience the seasons on their own skin—reinventing themselves daily with patience and resilience, keeping their bond with the earth alive. And lastly, I draw daily inspiration from my colleagues, near and far, who tirelessly fight to bring beauty into the world—through sweat, rain, and sometimes frustration—knowing that a single satisfied smile will repay all their efforts.
What does Avant gardening mean to you?
To me, Avant gardening breaks away from using plants merely as decorations—something to place and control simply because “I decided it should go there.” Instead, it seeks to build a more complex, dynamic, and sustainable environment. It starts with paying close attention to the site, choosing the right plants for the right place, planning with foresight, and giving each plant the freedom to grow and express itself with minimal human interference. Avant gardening requires a patient and knowledgeable mind to design and to integrate both the inner and outer landscape into a harmonious space accessible to all. It must, in just a few meters, be able to transport people through space and time—back to carefree childhood Sundays or to the wonder of landscapes explored alone or with company.
How do you practice the search for wonder?
I find wonder mostly in the ephemeral, the ever-changing, in what’s fleeting or barely visible. I smile thinking of new fern fronds unfurling, at an Anemone that wasn’t there in the morning and becomes the star of the garden by afternoon, at the scent of Chimonanthus blooming in the corner. At that undergrowth that was brown with leaves yesterday, violet with crocuses today, yellow with primroses tomorrow, and spring green next week. I see it in a piece of firewood that has such a beautiful grain it looks like a painting, and lingers in my hands as I debate whether to burn it or save it. I see it in a mountain cliff, in the patterns of its stone layers, adorned with the green of stubborn plants that cling and thrive. I’m constantly in awe each time I realize that no matter how skilled humans become at creating beauty, we’re no match for what nature offers us effortlessly.
What emotion or feeling do you hope people experience when engaging with your work?
I hope to spark curiosity, nostalgia, wonder. Through my installation, I’d like to inspire a deep sense of discovery and return to origins. Using colors, scents, sounds, lights and shadows, plants, and people’s own reflections, I want to invite everyone to look beyond themselves and start noticing what has brought us to where we are today. The small things, the humble foods—what once was life and survival and now risks becoming just a faded memory or a book page. I hope to revive long-lost flavors on the tongue and draw the eye to the humble plants’ quiet magnificence. I’d like to offer even just a brief escape from the hustle of modern urban life, allowing people to immerse themselves in a space that holds and amplifies our most ancient needs. I want to, as I often try to do, bring a bit of wildness into the lives of those who, by chance or necessity, don’t usually experience it—and I hope it’s received as something familiar.
Five words that you closely associate with the concept of the Garden of Eden
Balance. Abundance. Variety. Discovery. Nourishment.
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.
Pierre-Alexandre Risser