Palm Tree Studies in South Tyrol and Beyond

Public commission, Merano, Italy (2016)
Wallpaper and wall publication
Artist’s book published by Humboldt Publishing

A peculiar phenomenon of the Northern Italian city Merano is its large population of palm trees. In parks and gardens, tall palm trees can be seen against a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. The majority of the Merano palm trees belong to the species Trachycarpus fortunei, which was brought to Europe from East Asia in the 1830s. The first palms were planted in the city around 1880 as Merano was transforming into a health resort and a tourist destination. This project is an attempt to trace the palm trees’ botanical trajectories and symbolic dimensions.

The project was realized on the occasion of the exhibition Art & Nature 2016 Walking with Senses.