Milan to turn storm-struck trees into works of art

A monument to the destructive power of nature and our need to live in harmony with it

On 25 July this year, while the south of Italy was suffering under the scorching heat and wildfires, the Region of Lombardy and the City of Milan were pelted by a severe hailstorm coupled with brutal winds. The calamity resulted in the death of two people and that of hundreds of trees, which couldn’t withstand the gale and fell to the ground.

Rather than simply clean up and move on the authorities have decided to commemorate the unfortunate event and use its tragic memory as a warning to humanity to respect the climate and nature.

Thus, the City of Milan is inviting artists and creators to make use of the dead tree trunks and turn them into works of art for public display.

Violent storm, valuable lesson

The local authorities will ask artists to volunteer and use the organic material to make statements about the relationship between man and nature and about climate change.

A commission will choose from among all the proposals and will evaluate adherence to the theme, design quality, but also safety and ability of the artworks to withstand the outdoors.

The following parks have been identified by the authorities as the hosting sites for the art: the Montanelli Gardens, the Belgiojoso Garden, Sempione Park, Lambro, Martesana Park, Forlanini Park, Vettabia Park, Cascina Bianca Park, Trenno park, Favole park and Monte Stella.

Elena Grandi, Milan’s Councilor for the Environment, explained, as quoted by MiTomorrow, that the initiative seeks to keep a reminder of the destructive night in the collective memory and to urge residents to reflect on what the future holds in terms of urban living in the times of rapidly fluctuating climate shifts.