Vincenzo Fiore Marrese

Artwork Land Ethic

Portfolio Entry

I covered the soil with a coconut fabric. It was like covering someone who needed care. Then I put a brick of humus like a pillow.

A pile of sand partially covered by a brown cloth, resting on a grassy area with tire tracks and a red brick in the background.

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“Land Ethic,” Landschaftspark Rietzer Berg, Kloster Lehnin, Brandenburg, Germany; Kunst-Eremitage’s artist residency, Landschafts- und Kunstverein Rietzer Berg; photo by V.F. Marrese; ©VFMarrese. Click to download HD Image (for press use only). Please credit V.F. Marrese. Contact us for other use or licensing.

Artwork Details

  • Title:
    Land Ethic
  • Year:
    2024
  • Medium (Type of Art):
    environmental art
  • Unique Feature:
    this artwork will naturally decompose over time
  • Medium (Materials):
    coconut coir humus mix, jute fleece raised bed mat, natural environment (soil composed mainly of sand)
  • Dimensions (International):
    110×200 centimeters
  • Dimensions (British and US):
    43.31×78.74 inches
  • Venue:
    Landschaftspark Rietzer Berg, Kloster Lehnin, Brandenburg, Germany
  • Setting:
    Kunst-Eremitage’s artist residency, Landschafts- und Kunstverein Rietzer Berg

Establishing Context

I covered the soil with a coconut fabric. It was like covering someone who needed care. Then I put a brick of humus like a pillow.

The coconut fibre was meticulously interred within the sandy soil, arranged like bedding. This fibre provides a protective covering for the soil but also poses an obstacle to the growth of certain plants.

Contemporary art installation featuring soil covered with coconut fabric and a humus pillow.

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“Land Ethic,” Landschaftspark Rietzer Berg, Kloster Lehnin, Brandenburg, Germany; Kunst-Eremitage’s artist residency, Landschafts- und Kunstverein Rietzer Berg; photo by V.F. Marrese; ©VFMarrese. Click to download HD Image (for press use only). Please credit V.F. Marrese. Contact us for other use or licensing.

This work is temporary, meant to be eventually absorbed and broken down by the land.

Contemporary art installation featuring sand, a brick, and an imprint resembling fabric.

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“Land Ethic,”, newly installed humus brick in the landscape artwork, Landschaftspark Rietzer Berg, Kloster Lehnin, Brandenburg, Germany; Kunst-Eremitage’s artist residency, Landschafts- und Kunstverein Rietzer Berg; photo by V.F. Marrese; ©VFMarrese. Click to download HD Image (for press use only). Please credit V.F. Marrese. Contact us for other use or licensing.

Indeed, the soil will eventually absorb the biodegradable coconut fibre and the humus brick even more quickly.

When soaked in water, the humus brick disintegrates rapidly, enriching the soil. The brick represents a gift to the earth that I brought from Berlin to the land where I was working.

Contemporary art installation featuring a rectangular brown object resembling a brick on a sandy surface with fabric impressions.

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“Land Ethic,” humus brick decomposing in soil after soaking water, Landschaftspark Rietzer Berg, Kloster Lehnin, Brandenburg, Germany; Kunst-Eremitage’s artist residency, Landschafts- und Kunstverein Rietzer Berg; photo by V.F. Marrese; ©VFMarrese. Click to download HD Image (for press use only). Please credit V.F. Marrese. Contact us for other use or licensing.

I drew inspiration for the artwork title from ‘A Sand County Almanac,’ the famous book by Aldo Leopold, which I studied during the working period. Known for its focus on the ethics of land, it influenced my creative approach.