La collina di Ermes, Milano

Hence the wing is multifaceted, made up of many parts and fragments. In this logic, every scrap remaining of the greenhouse was used. Somelarge, shaped granite flagstones from Val Masino were partly recomposed as steps giving access to the hill, in continuity with two paths from the grotta. Four volutes, like herms in the shape of a pig (or maiale in Italian, with Maia being the mother of Hermes), seem to graze with their snouts pointing to the cardinal compass points. Some blocks scattered among the plants are like petasi (hats) and tortoiseshells. Other pieces of the greenhouse were chosen and transformed by the artist Mimmo Paladino. The mountains were covered with roses and flowers. The few fragments left over were buried, to respect them and imagine their hypothetical underground strength. Not all places have this ability to undergo such a profound metamorphosis. To quote Lucius Apuleius: “Mercury does not come from just any wood“.

What makes this project one-of-a-kind?
WING-SHAPED GARDEN – GREENHOUSE FRAGMENTS – MULTIFACETED