Urban harvest: Agnes Denes plants a wheatfield in the heart of Milan
![Agnes Denes has recreated her renowned 'Wheatfield' project in Milan, across 12 acres of empty land.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iu3WidDm5WBTLi4QyAHvtk-415-80.jpg)
If you happened to pass through Milan's Porta Nuova this week, you would have been forgiven for thinking you'd taken a wrong turn and somehow stumbled into the heart of rural Lombardy; for stretched out across 12 acres of land, a triangular field of wheat was being harvested by members of the public, armed with traditional scythes and flails as well as a combine harvester.
The rustic scene was in fact part of an installation by Agnes Denes that revisited the 'Wheatfield' project that the Hungarian-born American artist first realised 33 years ago, in New York's Battery Park. Invited to Milan by the Fondazione Riccardo Catella in partnership with Fondazione Nicola Trussardi and Confagricoltura, Denes' Milanese 'Wheatfield' set out to renew the ambition of the original project – to reconnect the urban community with the land and their agricultural history, building social engagement in the process.
Reclaiming this slice of urban land, Denes transported 15,500 cubic metres of soil to the area, along with 1250 kg of Odisseo variety seed and some 5000 kg of fertiliser. To create an authentic experience, and so as not to harm the surrounding residential neighbourhood, no herbicides or fungicides were employed in the process. Coinciding with Milan's World Expo, the seeds were sown in March, harvested this week and will eventually make way for a permanent park, the Biblioteca degli Alberi, or Library of Trees, come October.
First realised over 33 years ago in New York's Battery Park, Denes was invited to cultivate and harvest a field of wheat in the city by the Fondazione Riccardo Catella in partnership with Fondazione Nicola Trussardi and Confagricoltura. Pictured left: Beatrice Trussardi, president of the Fondazione Nicola Trussardi
Claiming a slice of urban land in Milan's Porta Nuova district, the work saw 15,500 cubic meters of soil transported to the area, along with 1250 kg of Odisseo variety seed and some 5000 kg of fertiliser
Having been sown earlier this year, the crop was harvested last week by members of the public, armed with traditional scythes and flails as well as a combine harvester
To create an authentic experience and so as not to harm the surrounding residential neighbourhood, no herbicides or fungicides were employed in the process
'Wheatfield' set out to renew the ambition of Denes' original 1982 project; to reconnect the urban community with the land and their agricultural history, while building community and social engagement in the process
The project will eventually make way for a permanent park, the Biblioteca degli Alberi, or Library of Trees, come October
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Phaidon’s new Graphic Classics is a lavish greatest hits of graphic design
Graphic Classics is a compendium of seven centuries of visual culture, from the everyday and ephemeral to visionary works that reshaped our world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Birley Chocolate hits the sweet ’n’ chic spot in London’s Chelsea
The new Birley Chocolate shop, a sibling to Birley Bakery, is a confection of colour as delicious as its finely crafted goods
By Melina Keays Published
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
Pino Pascali’s brief and brilliant life celebrated at Fondazione Prada
Milan’s Fondazione Prada honours Italian artist Pino Pascali, dedicating four of its expansive main show spaces to an exhibition of his work
By Kasia Maciejowska Published
-
‘I just don't like eggs!’: Andrea Fraser unpacks the art market
Artist Andrea Fraser’s retrospective ‘I just don't like eggs!’ at Fondazione Antonio dalle Nogare, Italy, explores what really makes the art market tick
By Sofia Hallström Published
-
Miranda July considers fantasy and performance at Fondazione Prada
‘Miranda July: New Society’ at Fondazione Prada, Milan, charts 30 years of the artist's career
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Juergen Teller’s ‘i need to live’ explores beauty and fragility at Triennale Milano
Juergen Teller’s ‘i need to live’ is on show at Triennale Milano, following its Paris debut, and spans shots of Yves Saint Laurent and Björk, as well as quirky self-portraits
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Triennale Milano exhibition spotlights contemporary Italian art
The latest Triennale Milano exhibition, ‘Italian Painting Today’, is a showcase of artworks from the last three years
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Walls, Windows and Blood: Catherine Opie in Naples
Catherine Opie's new exhibition ‘Walls, Windows and Blood’ is now on view at Thomas Dane Gallery, Naples
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
Raffaele Salvoldi stacks hundreds of marble blocks for dazzling Milan installation
For a Milan Design Week 2023 installation, Italian artist Raffaele Salvoldi teams up with marble brand Salvatori to create architectural sculptures comprising hundreds of marble blocks
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Ann Veronica Janssens wraps Milan's Pirelli HangarBicocca in light, mist and magic
A major survey of Ann Veronica Janssens’ work at Pirelli Hangar Bicocca, Milan shines new light on the sensorially stimulating work of the Belgian artist
By Benoit Loiseau Published