Lavazza and the Triennale join forces to open a dialogue between man and nature

Lavazza and the prestigious institute of international contemporary culture today announce their new partnership and “The Nation of Plants”, an art and science exhibition that reveals the “diffuse” intelligence of the world of plants and everything man can learn from them. 

Milan, February 27, 2019 - Art, science and nature: a mixture that can stir people into action, reconnecting them with the environment and arousing a healthy concern for the future of the planet. This fertile soil of positive, sustainable art has nurtured the partnership announced today between Lavazza and the Triennale di Milano, one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutes, which brings together contemporary artistic languages across the board, from design and photography to fashion, architecture and the visual arts.

This is the reason for the inclusion in the XXII International Exhibition from March 1 to September 1 of “The Nation of Plants”, a popular science exhibition for which Lavazza is Main Partner, curated by Italian scholar Stefano Mancuso, one of the world’s leading authorities in the field of plant neurobiology, which reveals the “diffuse” intelligence of the plant world. 

“We are proud to have the chance to support a leading institute of Italian culture like the Triennale di Milano, which since 1923 has been bringing together contemporary artistic languages across the board in a constructive dialogue between art and design, creativity and technology, tradition and innovation. This is a strategic partnership for Lavazza, because it is aligned with our commitment to promote art and the places where culture is brought to life. We place great store in this collaboration because it works towards a form of art that is positive and sustainable, rather than being an end in its own right, one that leaves a mark and inspires people to make their own contribution to protecting the Earth,” said Company Board Member Francesca Lavazza. “‘The Nation of Plants’ exhibition has affected and inspired me personally. It is an unconventional exhibition, one that upturns expectations and has made me realize how in fact it isn’t man who makes room for plants, but plants and their diffuse and non-predatory intelligence that make room for men”.

The Earth is dominated by plants, which make up 95% of the total biomass, and while they don’t have a brain but instead millions of diffuse sensors, they feed, grow, reproduce and defend themselves using intelligent, energy efficient solutions that aren’t aggressive towards the ecosystem. “The Nation of Plants” exhibition uses an immersive experience, installations and multimedia content to describe the surprising intelligence shown by plants and everything that man can learn from the plant world.

A curious example of collaboration between the plant and animal worlds is provided by the coffee plant, which can perceive an insect’s ability to pollinate and regulates the quantity of caffeine in its nectar accordingly. The better an insect is at this task, the more caffeine the plant releases in order to activate its brain and encourage it to come back.  

The combination of art and nature, devised to rebuild the relationship between man and the environment and to promote direct involvement in protecting the Earth, has for years received concerted support from Lavazza. The 2019 Lavazza Calendar “Good to Earth” too, with its contemporary and unconventional language, springs from the fertile soil of positive art: the photographs by Ami Vitale and the nature art installations tell us about some good news for the Earth, or in other words the virtuous projects for
reforestation, protecting biodiversity and the conversion of industrial areas into green spaces that represent virtuous examples of the people who make their own personal contributions to protecting the environment.