Allissand
REDISCOVERING THE EARTH
In this first issue, humus® starts its journey by looking at the ground, on which not only our feet but also our homes, cities, factories and roads stand; and where orchards, wheat fields and woods spread their roots. Our whole existence is based on that which may seem just a surface, but which in fact is much more. Because it has a thickness, a depth, a history and a very intense life.
Rare earths: where they are and what they are used for.
The importance of “technological minerals”
edited by Mario Tozzi
Architecture
Defending the soil. LAND research and projects.
Not just a vocation, but a commitment to LAND, the international landscaping consultancy firm that makes nature a driver of change.
Paolo Pileri: listening to the earth will save us
Even before plants, human survival relies on soil, as this is where all life comes from. The urban planning expert who chose to stand “on the side of soil”, as his last book is also entitled, explains why we should protect this incredible (and misunderstood) ecosystem.
Art & Ceramics
Giulio Saverio Rossi. Earths of light
A meeting with the author of "Il giardino di notte" to investigate his very personal use of rare earths and light.
Chiara Camoni. The earth remembers
Rare earths that are unique, coming from magical places and charged with memory. We talked of this and other things with the artist, who uses ceramics and terracotta to create magical presences, evoking stories to be told.
Edward Burtynsky. Landscapes as a metaphor
Design
Into the roots of design: the experimentation of Art Deco
In the Twenties, aesthetic codes borrowed from the avant-garde movements and technical progress went hand in hand to develop a new decorative language: stylised geometric patterns that immediately spoke to a wide audience. A dynamic and treasured expertise handed down by design.
Guglielmo Brambilla. Other clays
In an interview the designer tells us about the path that, through a residence in Finland, led him to understand in depth the many aspects of ceramics, starting from the wild clay of a Finnish lake.
The Paris Expo and the first hundred years of “Made in Italy”
The symbolic date representing the launch of the great economic and cultural “Made in Italy” phenomenon is certainly 1925, the year of the Paris Expo celebrating the height of the Art Deco movement. This is what happened.
News
Classic càntirs: sixteen designers interpret the ancient Catalan jug
One, ten, eighty càntirs: the traditional terracotta jug with two mouths, famous for its ability to cool liquids and an emblem of the typical conviviality of Barcelona, is the focus of a series of artistic works. The curator Júlia Esqué tells us all about it.
The art of the underground: an investigation by the Louvre in Lens
In the northern French region scarred also physically by mining activities, the local antenna of the famous museum went “20,000 leagues below the earth”, investigating the artists’ relationship with the real and imagined universes hidden beneath our feet.
The wounds of Africa. Colonialism and mines, according to Abraham Oghobase
The Lagos-born artist who lives in Canada has been reflecting on the colonial heritage of his country for years, starting from the earth. His works tell how mineral mining has shaped the face of Nigeria.
Protecting the earth, a treasure chest of biodiversity. Johanna Seelemann’s mission
For the German designer, the earth is not merely a material used to build new objects but something fragile and precious, to be taken care of through the projects and research she talked about.