agriculture

On April 24th, 2012, GRIDED PLAINS…

Midwestern monoculture gridded plains

…of Midwestern monoculture are giving me something to look at and think about while anticipating a return to L.A. home at long last.

 

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By Fritz Haeg on April 24, 2012 | travel
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On February 17th, 2012, PESCARA’S MUSEO DELLA GENTI D’ABRUZZO…

a typical Abruzzian agrarian scene from a museum diorama, and the snowy farm of Pollinaria today

…(the Museum of the People of Abruzzo) which engagingly presents the rich essence of Abruzzian domestic culture, the stories and related materials of how people have survived and created in this region for centuries, where I was especially captivated by the production of quotidian baskets, ricotta, olive oil, wheat, linens, clothing, and bread, made it the perfect first stop on my first day in town hosted by Pollinaria‘s Gaetano Carboni, while starting to get a sense of what form my spring project here might take – currently with the words ‘domestic landscapes’ in my head.

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By Fritz Haeg on February 17, 2012 | agriculture
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On September 2nd, 2011, PUGLIA’S TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURAL BUILDING TYPES…

suburban housing blocks surrounding a paiara framed by four stone pines outside of Nardo'

…are what have drawn me to this place more than anything, such as the dry-stone conical domes of the trulli, modest shelters or residences found mostly in the central Valle D’Itria (around Locorotondo, Alberbello, Martina Franca, Ceglie Messapica); the fortified farmhouse complexes of the masserie; and the primitive storehouses and temporary shelters dotting the landscape known as paiara (though locals here call them something else which escapes my memory at the moment) built with mortar-less stone construction (just like the walls that divide up the countryside all over the region) which are slightly domed but with flat roofs you can often access with a stair or two wrapping around the perimeter – though what I was most unprepared for here in Puglia was the vivid contrast between the evidence of a picturesque primitive agrarian past, and beautiful historic town centers surrounded – and at times strangled by – more recent sprawling development, much of it the legacy of a 1960′s housing and building boom (the most egregious of which were built with no official approvals and against any codes, known all over Italy as ‘abusivismo’) – but after getting my eyes re-adjusted to this first impression of an ugly mess, I started to feel like there was a meaningful ‘edge’ here – a reality of 21st century life and conflict (not seen in Umbria or Tuscany where restrictive building codes and wealthy foreigners have mostly frozen the place in time) which actually reminded me a bit of L.A. – stimulating me in similar ways.

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By Fritz Haeg on September 2, 2011 | architecture
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On September 1st, 2011, A MASSERIA (WITH FRANTOIO IPOGEO)…

Masseria courtyard over a massive ancient subterranean olive mill (frantoio ipogeo)

…is something I have had an intense architectural crush on since first reading about them last year (a fortified farmhouse unique to Puglia, often with a series of connecting vaulted spaces made of local stone on the ground level for animals and farm workers around a central protected courtyard overseen by more comfortable castle-like quarters on an upper level for the noble landowners, some featuring their own chapel and underground mill – frantoio ipogeo – for processing olive oil) – and today I went to visit a dreamy abandoned masseria from the 1600′s – with a massive 800 year old frantoio beneath the courtyard, a chapel at the front gate, and extensive local dry stone walls enclosing fruit orchards and gardens – for sale just north of Lecce where I was entertaining fantasies of retreating with friends who could come and go to a quiet life in the country, living and working and creating and gardening on ancient land – so I am now realizing that my unexplained deep interest is in part related to their village-like nature, originally created to protect it’s community of inhabitants from invading warriors, but maybe today offering protection from invasions of other sorts – like the toxic aspects of contemporary society which could use an oppositional model – the courtyard becoming the possible focus for a group of people turning in to create their own community, a place that is consciously quieter and slower, being connected to centuries of the past might change your perception of the future, and now I’m thinking about what my ideal life in one of these ancient ready-made villages might look like today?

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By Fritz Haeg on September 1, 2011 | Italy
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On August 27th, 2011, THE SALENTO WATERMELON HARVEST…

masseria surrounded by unharvested watermelons

…never happened this year since it would cost the farmers more to harvest them than they could then sell them for – leading to some sad but beautiful fields of rotting watermelons as far as you can see – one of many local agricultural anecdotes, aspects, stories, visions which have brought me here to the Salento region of Puglia.

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By Fritz Haeg on August 27, 2011 | food
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On July 30th, 2011, THE SAINT PAUL FARMERS MARKET…

zucchini and onions at the very neat & organized St. Paul Farmers Market

…was founded in 1853 back when streets where dirt in these parts and has since been relocated a few times before landing at it’s current downtown location which we visited early this morning in preparation for a week ‘up north’ at the lake cabin – and my first impression is that in comparison to the slightly wild, loose and casual presentations at the Italian and Roman farmer’s markets – these displays were super neat and organized with bowls of prearranged produce displayed in perfect grids – thanks to that Germanic love of order which I happen to grudgingly share.

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By Fritz Haeg on July 30, 2011 | food
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On July 20th, 2011, TREVIGNANO ROMANO…

the old rambling structures of Agriturismo Acquaranda

…is the village overlooking Lake Bracciano north of Rome where we traveled this afternoon to interview Massimo at Agriturismo Acquaranda, for the Roma Mangia Roma book, to hear about his experiences with food, in particular with making cheese on the land where his father made cheese (which it turns out that he doesn’t even eat), his recent shift from cows to sheep, his discovery of traditional processes to make artisanal cheeses no longer found, leading him to the slow food movement, kilometer zero, and other ways of approaching food production he had not previously considered.

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By Fritz Haeg on July 20, 2011 | agriculture
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On June 17th, 2011, AGRICOLA CORNELIA…

the wheat fields of Agricola Cornelia

…the storied piece of hilly agricultural land within a nature reserve, north of town, off the Via Cassia, and just outside of the Grande Raccordo Anulare, is where I surprisingly find myself wandering the fields of wheat today – after having written about my inspiring read of the 1984 book “How to Imagine: a Narrative on Art, Agriculture, and Creativity” about the Italian artist Gianfranco Baruchello’s experience of farming this very piece of land in the 1970′s as an art project, now home his Fondazione Baruchello – where I hope to return and hang out when I can, now that I have the pleasure of knowing him – and looking forward to our upcoming interview for the “Roma Mangia Roma” book.

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By Fritz Haeg on June 17, 2011 | agriculture
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On June 16th, 2011, STALKING PUGLIA…

Puglia's common agricultural buidling types of the Trullo and Masseria for which I hunt daily on real estate websites

…is what I have been up to (as any Italian friend who I have bored with endless Puglia talk and questions over the past six months knows well), becoming increasingly fascinated by and fixated on this most southeastern region of Italy (heel of the boot) the more I learn – like their gay green anti-mafia president Nichi Vendola who writes poetry, did his dissertation on Pasolini, seeming to be the best and most unlikely hope for unseating the Berlusconi monster – like their mortar-less local stone domed Trulli, and fortified farmhouse Masserie, mystical and pragmatic rural agricultural building types unique to the region – like all of the cool young kids from the region who seem to be sticking around to do their thing – like the fact that it is still cheap and not quite as tourist-laden as the rest of the country – leading me to daily hunts on real estate websites for my dream piece of Puglia land with trullo or masseria to cultivate, to gradually ease into, hands in the land, a new project, living experiment, open door policy sort of place where all are welcome to spend any amount of time – and I can’t wait to head south for a visit.

 

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By Fritz Haeg on June 16, 2011 | Puglia
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On May 15th, 2011, WEALTH UNDERGROUND FARM…

farming artist Nolan of Wealth Underground Farm reveals the colorful speckled lettuce coming up under crop covers in the still chilly hills of north Portland

…hosted a conversation about art & agriculture this afternoon, with Danny Percich, Tim Donovan, Harrell Fletcher, and myself, as part of the Open Engagement conference, on their Portland adjacent small CSA organic farm – which some of the of the hardcore student bikers arrived at on two wheels up a steep hill – and what a pleasure to spend time in this little Pacific Northwest nirvana of farming in the scenic hilly woods next to the city, so well known for it’s fixation on slow local organic radical foody bikey composty feministy ethos that there is even a TV show about it called Portlandia – which happened to film the farm scene at Wealth Underground in the episode where the couple ordering dinner at a restaurant is concerned about how local their food is and goes to inspect the home of the chicken named Colin that they are planning on eating.

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By Fritz Haeg on May 15, 2011 | agriculture
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On April 13th, 2011, TUSCAN PLASTIC CROP COVERS…

shiny plastic on the Tuscan horizon

…(for strawberries?) are the cool shocking shiny surfaces wrapping parts of the rolling spring green surfaces of southern Tuscan landscapes as viewed from my very slow one car train gradually heading from Grosseto to Siena – making every little stop on the way – with each quiet sun-bathed stuccoed station seeming to feature a single bench with a solitary seated figure waiting for the next train – or just watching them go by?

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By Fritz Haeg on April 13, 2011 | travel
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On March 22nd, 2011, SEASIDE TERRACED FARMING IN PRAIANO…

farming on the sea in Praiano at the Lewitt's white-washed villas

…where I am staying for a few days (at a friend’s stunning collection of big farmed ocean view terraces accommodating a variety of little white houses dating from the 1600′s that have been in the family for generations, where she is now hosting a casual residency program for young cooks, farmers, and artists) on the coast south of Napoli between Amalfi and Portofino – is a highly common, visible and gorgeous aspect of life here in this small picturesque village, where biodynamic farming with lunar cycles (dictating the planting of below and above ground vegetables during different phases which I am still not so clear on) is part of the tradition and common among all of the local gardeners and farmers who I talked to.

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By Fritz Haeg on March 22, 2011 | agriculture
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On March 21st, 2011, ‘HOW TO IMAGINE: A NARRATIVE ON ART, AGRICULTURE AND CREATIVITY’…

my beat up old copy of "How to Imagine" which has followed me on so many trips unread

…is the 1984 book of musings (as recounted to and translated by Henry Martin) by Italian artist Gianfranco Baruchello (b. 1924) who in 1973 decamped to a modest piece of land north of Rome, near Formello, to begin a life of farming as art – and after years of carrying around this little book which I knew I needed to read, I finally had the chance to finish it in one sitting this weekend while appropriately nestled into a friend’s big old country villa in a tiny old village on top of a hill in the steep rolling Sabina hills of Northern Lazio overlooking the plains of Rome – and the unfolding conversational ramblings covering everything from Duchamp readymades to sheep care made for an absorbing and pleasurable read, further inspiring my future farming fantasies.  (book link)

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By Fritz Haeg on March 21, 2011 | books
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On March 19th, 2011, CASTEL SAN PIETRO…

the secret garden at a friend's place in Castel San Pietro

…is the tiny hill town an hour north of Rome near Poggio Mirteto  where I am lucky enough to be at a friend’s place for the weekend – from which you can see Saint Peter’s as a distant tiny dot on the horizon – taking long walks through the farm land where I am luxuriating in all the plants and animals that I don’t get to hang out with on top of our hill in Rome.

 

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By Fritz Haeg on March 19, 2011 | agriculture, Italy, landscape
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On November 17th, 2010, BRACKET ISSUE #1 ‘ON FARMING’…

Bracket #1 'On Farming' published by Actar

…is the premiere issue of the journal published by the Barcelona based architecture imprint Actar which has its release today at the University of Toronto, where I visited over a few cold days in February 2009 joined by Heather Ring, Michael Speaks, Nathalie de Vries, Charles Waldheim, and Mason White to select a few farming related design projects, from hundreds of submissions, for inclusion in this issue – and upon returning to L.A. with some time to reflect on the topic I composed a little essay called ‘The Building that Farms…’ (Bracket website)

Bracket is a new book series structured around an open call for entries that highlights emerging critical issues at the juncture of architecture, environment, and digital culture. It is a collaboration between InfraNet Lab and Archinect. Conceived as an almanac, the series looks at emerging thematics in our global age that are shaping the built environment in radically significant, yet often unexpected ways. On Farming looks at the capacity for architecture to address ideas and issues of productive landscapes and urbanisms. Once merely understood in terms of agriculture, today information, energy, labour, and landscape, among others, can be farmed. Farming harnesses the efficiency of collectivity and community. The issue collects original design projects, installations, and essays which interrogate new typologies, forms, and formats of the built environment. With almost 40 design proposals and 12 essays, On Farming collects emerging designers and thinkers internationally. The Editorial Board includes Fritz Haeg, Maya Przybylski, Heather Ring, Michael Speaks, Nathalie de Vries, Charles Waldheim, and Mason White.

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By Fritz Haeg on November 17, 2010 | books
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On October 30th, 2010, BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO VINEYARDS…

Brunello di Montalcino grape leaves

…are on fire right now in the most spectacular spectrum of shades from bright yellows to gaudy pinks and deep magentas which are also all to be found on one pixelated leaf. (more on Wikipedia)

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By Fritz Haeg on October 30, 2010 | agriculture
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On September 28th, 2010, LES JARDINS FRUITIERS DE LAQUENEXY…

the rows of apple trees at Jardins Fruitiers de Laquenexy, France

…just outside of Metz, France is where I headed after landing in nearby Luxembourg – joining a reception that was part of the garden conference I have come to speak at tomorrow – but instead of spending time where I was supposed to (in the very elaborate new manicured gardens), I spent an hour wandering though the hypnotic corridors of the old apple and pear orchards, with every row, and sometimes every tree, offering a different exotic, unique, never-tasted-or-seen-by-me variety – that literaly made me tear up with with emotion as I tasted my way from tree to tree laden with just ripe fruit – and smoke wafting in the distance from a recent bonfire – oh, and parenthetically, I saw the new Centre Pompidou-Metz, but the pears were so much better. (more info on the gardens)

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By Fritz Haeg on September 28, 2010 | agriculture, France
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On July 14th, 2010, CENTRAL PIVOT IRRIGATION…

central pivot irrigation from above

…as viewed somewhere over Oklahoma on the way to Tulsa this afternoon. (more info)

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By Fritz Haeg on July 14, 2010 | travel
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On May 9th, 2010, NATIVE SEEDS / SEARCH (SOUTHWESTERN ENDANGERED ARIDLANDS RESOURCE CLEARING HOUSE)…

One of the Native Seeds/SEARCH founders was leading a solar cooking workshop at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix which I happened upon during my visit yesterday

…is an organization that I became aware of yesterday on my visit to Phoenix, they are doing great work to keep alive the heritage of the native seeds of the desert Southwest – more information from their website…

Native Seeds/SEARCH (Southwestern Endangered Aridlands Resource Clearing House) conserves, distributes, and documents the adapted and diverse varieties of agricultural seeds, their wild relatives and the role these seeds play in cultures of the American Southwest and Northwest Mexico.

We envision the Greater Southwest as a place where farms and gardens, kitchens and tables, stores and restaurants are brimming with the full diversity of aridlands-adapted heirloom crops; people are keeping the unique seeds and agricultural heritage alive; and the crops, in turn, are nourishing humankind.

The retail store is located at 3061 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719 – (520) 622-5561 – open Mondays thru Saturdays from 10am to 5pm, Sunday noon – 4pm.

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By Fritz Haeg on May 9, 2010 | agriculture
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On March 23rd, 2010, THE CULLARS ROTATION AT AUBURN UNIVERSITY…

The Cullars Rotation at Auburn University, Alabama established 1911

…is a soil fertility study on the National Register of Historic Places running continuously since it was established in 1911 – which I visited before my lecture at the university museum tonight – a talk and visit interestingly co-sponsored and co-hosted by the School of Agriculture and School of Art -  the crop rotation field is planted with: 1) Cotton followed by Legume cover crop 2) Corn planted into winter legume; wheat planted in fall following corn harvest 3) Wheat harvested for grain in late May followed by soybean – that is . (website)

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By Fritz Haeg on March 23, 2010 | agriculture
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