Andrea Caretto and Raffaella Spagna at Le Parvis, Ibos

Since 2002, Italian artists Andrea Caretto and Raffaella Spagna have collaborated on works that explore elemental natural materials and human intervention. Their exhibition at Le Parvis centre d'art contemporain in Ibos, France (February 8 to April 7, 2007) features installations that trace the origins and transformations of plants and landscapes. A table is converted into a field growing three Neolithic cereals: einkorn, emmer, and barley. A world map marks nineteen locations where humans first domesticated plants, each indicated by a glass sphere containing seeds. A video shows accelerated barley growth; another documents the artists harvesting nettles, drying them, and macerating them to obtain fibers, which are suspended as a ball from the ceiling. Twelve tree silhouettes represent prehistoric European forest species cleared by humans for habitation, agriculture, and industry. A parquet floor made from these same woods maps the plain of Tarbes and its prehistoric forest. The artists use scientific and sensory tools to analyze ongoing environmental change, avoiding nostalgia or a search for original purity. They invite viewers to engage with the materials and data critically.