In these weekly talks, scholars and leaders exchange ("xChange") new research and solutions for people and planet.

This week, Andrea Conte and Laura Passatore, reflect on how art can help humans connect with the environment. 

Andrea Conte, PhD; Environmental Engineer; Director of FuturEcologies and Andreco studio (www.andreco.org)
Laura Passatore, PhD; Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR); founding partner of a nature-based solutions start-up

When the concept of ecosystem services (ES) is used in communication we must consider that it only highlights the tip of the iceberg of interconnections within ecosystems. Coming into contact with a tree, being surrounded by them, can make citizens aware of the role of trees in human life, more than a lot of scientific data can do.

Reflecting on these themes, we, an artist and a researcher, together with an architect and the local associations, created the first Aula Verde (Tree Room) in Rome. The Aula Verde is a nature-based solution and a piece of land art, consisting of a stand of trees arranged in a circle with a specific design to create the perception of being in an outdoor vegetated room. Aesthetic and ecological criteria gave shape to the Aula Verde, promoting awareness and an emotional connection with nature, to think about the relationship between forests, trees, and people.

Laura Passatore works at the Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), which is part of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) in Rome. She studied environmental sciences and got a doctorate in forest ecology. She is currently involved in research on Nature Based Solutions (NbS) applied to the decontamination and recovery of soils. She passionately conducts laboratory research on plant-contaminant interactions, testing the studied processes through greenhouse experiments and pilot field trials. She is founding partner of a spin-off, applying NbS on real scale. She is the author of numerous scientific publications and a book on water treatment using plants.

Andrea Conte (Andreco), director of FuturEcologies and Andreco studio (www.andreco.org), is a visual artist with a MSc and PhD in Environmental Engineering, has conducted researches on Nature Based Solutions (NBS) in collaboration with the University of Bologna and Columbia University, New York. He is affiliate to the Ecological Art Practice research group of NICHE, Ca’Foscari University in Venice. Climate Art Project (www.climateartproject.com) the multidisciplinary initiative, is exemplary of how his artistic and scientific research translates into direct forms of climate action. Andrea Conte has participated in and exhibited in several international festivals, museums and galleries and is a lecturer for a number of art academies and universities. Andrea Conte and Laura Passatore have recently published among Nature’s Scientific Reports the results of three projects Climate Art Project, Flumen (about rivers) and Aula Verde (Tree Room) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-51611-9

In-person attendance is preferred and will produce the best user experience, but Zoom is available. Arrival at 11:45 a.m. recommended.