Da morto a orto: the project inside
Photo Marcello Dino for Essen©- Img 7 Denise Bonapace
Denise and Peter are two designers who make projects. As Denise tells us, pro-ject means to throw further, to go further. The idea of da morto a orto (ed. from dead to garden) is to reinvent eco-friendly and economical furniture, not to consume too much, using what already exists and available instruments such as hammer, drill, paint, tool box. There was a time when they woke up really early in the morning and together with AMSA – the Milan-based company that takes care of municipal waste- in order to find discarded furniture, committing to give them a new shape. With the collaboration of Ingegnoli, they created a sentimental installation in the garden of Viale Pasubio in Milan. The furniture fits into the landscape as abandoned objects that discover new uses in the nature, creating a path in a secret garden.
You walk expecting to recognize at first glance the natural thing or your grandmother’s furniture that grows in spices.
When did you start this project? What were you doing?
Denise We moved out of town, in a green place, we fixed a house were there many old things and trees. The idea of da morto a orto was born because the dead object has life inside, while nature is life and death living together: like in this garden, where objects don’t win, but everything is a harmonic part of the landscape. The graft of green in the furniture is the last act of the project, in order to inspire people to reuse things, even on their city balcony, managing to create a small garden with herbs and small vegetables.
Being a designer also means to have a moral side that means not to commit new resources but using lived materials to live a sustainable everyday life.
There are many herbs in your work, are they important elements in your kitchen?
Peter is the chef in our house, he loves spices! I love sweets and I only cook sweets and Bavarian cream.
An example?
South Tyrolean walnut cake! It’s my speciality. You soften butter with sugar until you get a frothy mixture, add egg yolks an flour with a sieve, then chopped nuts, cream and honey. When everything’s well mixed bake it at 350°F in a greased baking tray.
Ingredients:
0,9 cup butter
0,4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1,3 cup flour
50dl cream
0,5 cup honey
0,4 cup chopped walnuts
Bio: Denise Bonapace worked as a designer of capsule collections and fashion consultant for such brands as Agnona, Zegna. Peter Bottazzi is a designer and an art director, he started working as a puppeteer in theatres (he started with the brothers Colla), in art and cinema, working among others with Peter Greenaway, Robert Wilson and Moni Ovadia.
