New Herbs from Palermo and Surroundings. A Sicilian Expedition, 2018

Alberto BarayaNew Herbs from Palermo and Surroundings. A Sicilian Expedition (2018), mixed media installation
In collaboration with: Franco Bertolino (Museo del Carretto), Associazione Liberi Artigiani Balarm, Triscele Alab, Tommasino Todaro (Laboratorio Santo Stefano di Camastra), Giacomo Dolce, Angelica Allegra

Section: Garden of Flows

The project of a herbarium of artificial plants creates a fake collection of Palermitan and Sicilian plants based on taxonomy. These plants have been gathered during indoor and outdoor expeditions around the city and across the island of Sicily, focusing on tributes and homages placed on altars made by local residents, visitors, migrants and travellers over time.
New Herbs from Palermo and Surroundings. A Sicilian Expedition envisions the installation of this peculiar collection at the Botanical Garden of Palermo, seeing its greenhouse as a perfect cultural and floral meeting point. A display made of artificial plants systematically represents behaviours of everyday life connected with the island’s cultural traditions and beliefs.