BotaniCall: Sinfonie Vegetali Performance at Lecce's Orto Botanico

On September 20, 2018, BotaniCall launched with the performance "Sinfonie Vegetali" curated by Francesco Giannico and Claudia Mollese at the Orto Botanico del Salento near Lecce. The project, winner of the European "Actors of Urban Change" call funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation, involves architect Afro Carpentieri along with Marco Carlino, Francesca Guarascio, and Giulia Toscani. BotaniCall is a systemic-generative experiment combining ethnobotany, natural agriculture, and natural architecture to reconnect humans and plants. The Orto Botanico, created in the late 1990s, spans 14 hectares east of Lecce, an area marginalized after the construction of the Lecce ring road. In 2016, a training course on synergistic agriculture led to an agreement between the Fondazione per la Gestione dell'Orto Botanico and the cultural association JANUB, with volunteers managing 1,500 square meters. The project aims to transform the peri-urban landscape through community involvement, including "ortigiane" (apprentice gardeners) who cultivate 1,000 square meters. BotaniCall is part of the third edition of "Actors of Urban Change," funding 10 projects in 10 European cities requiring public-private-cultural partnerships for sustainable urban development.