04. Stigma
They crawl, buzz, dig, glide. Insects are almost invisible creatures, but they work hard night and day. At the heart of the food chain, they contribute to pollination, recycle the nutrients of organisms, make the soil fertile and activate biological mechanisms to fight pests. Without their unwavering assistance, the world would be a sterile environment. However, due to general disregard, their species and numbers are dropping considerably. It is our duty to really observe them, to detect and understand their dynamics. This garden is entitled Stigma, referring to the opening that allows air to enter the trachea for insects to breathe. This is how they are distinguished from vertebrates, which do not have one. Here, this vital breath reflects the abandonment of a vision focused on humans. The garden places our focus back on the habitats and biodiversity, with a space where animal species, plants and minerals live together in harmony. This forest garden swarming with life, from the treetops to underground, has been designed to resemble a vast insect hotel ready to welcome small mammals and birds. Butterflies, beetles, ladybirds, ants and caterpillars find food and shelter inside the trunks, compost heaps, bark, holes and under stones laid out along a path that resembles an earthworm slithering through the garden.
DESIGNERS
Expert in urban settings, Davide Cerruto relentlessly works on plantation schemes for new gardens and looks for combination of plants that best suit a site in terms of reliability, sustainability and enchantment; he is always up-to-date - and sometimes obsessed - with new cultivars and combo of trees, shrubs and perennials to include in his gardens. In 2014, he attends the specialization course of "Design of green spaces" at the Scuola Agraria del Parco di Monza with the aim to fine-tune his training and develop an approach to ornamental gardens. Since that moment he cooperates even as a botanical populariser - on the web, sector magazines, personal connections - because he believes in the saving power of plants and works for the grassroots diffusion of a "Green Culture" that can elevate the relationship between men and nature.
Born in Bogotá (Colombia). Walter Coccia attended the first year of the degree course in Architecture at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotà. Then he moved to Italy, where he graduated in Architecture at the Milan Polytechnic in 1995, specialising in the Protection and Restoration of the Historical and Artistic Heritage, discussing a thesis on the conservation and restoration of the former Theatine Monastery of Sant'Agata in Bergamo, which later became a Judicial Prison. Since 1993, he has collaborated with various professional studios in the area of Milan, Bergamo and their provinces. During the academic year 1996/97, he has collaborated as an expert with Prof. Federico Brunetti, holder of the Chair of Theory and History of Representation Methods at the Milan Polytechnic. He took part in the setting up of the exhibition "Inspections in the Polytechnic - A didactic atlas of graphic representations of the university buildings of the Milan Polytechnic and the Faculty of Architecture, Leonardo Campus” located in the exhibition space of the Polytechnic. Since 1997, enrolled in the Register of Architects, Landscape Architects, Planners and Conservators of the Province of Bergamo, n. 1377. In 1997, enrolled in the list of technical consultants of the Civil Court of Bergamo. In 1999 he opened his own professional practice and he attended the course for experts in landscape-environmental protection pursuant to Lombardy Regional Law n. 18/97. Since 2007, enrolled in the Register pursuant to Law 818/1984 code no. BG01377 A00256. Since March 2010, enrolled in the Regional Register of Inspectors of the Lombardy Region for the category “Construction and related supplies” at n. 4088. In 2014 and 2015, he attended the specialisation course in "Design of green spaces" at the Agrarian School of the Park of Monza pursuant to L.R. Lombardia n,19/07. Since 2022, registered with AIAPP - Italian Association of Landscape Architecture n. 1158. He is currently practising as a freelancer.
