Maria Thereza Alves Turns Walls into Ecological Habitats in Canelli

Maria Thereza Alves's public artwork 'Pluriversal Recapturings' transforms a wall in Canelli, Italy, from a separator into an ecological infrastructure. Commissioned for the tenth anniversary of the UNESCO recognition of the Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato, the piece is a collaboration between the Municipality of Canelli, Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, and the Association for the Vineyard Landscapes. The wall, built with bricks, stone, and various materials, features porous surfaces that shelter insects and spiders, redefining the wall as a shared habitat. Francesco Manacorda notes that the porosity allows small organisms to inhabit the structure, and the brick pattern mimics a butterfly's flight, indicating biodiversity. A garden designed with ecoLogicStudio follows natural processes, with yellow vectors tracking spatial dynamics. Alves's practice, spanning over thirty years, links ecology, colonial history, and territorial transformation. The work expands the concept of heritage to include non-human presences, proposing an ecological democracy. The wall becomes a threshold for coexistence, challenging the nature-culture divide. The artwork was funded by Regione Piemonte and the Ministry of Tourism for the Municipality of Canelli, celebrating the UNESCO site. Creative producer Elisa Strinna and ecoLogicStudio contributed to the project. Photo by Alberto Nidola.