Contrada Priore

Year 1995–present
  • View over large property with completely dug up land. Downhill a cuboid house.
    1996
  • Desolate maybe abandonned house situated on a hill. Bare trees next to the house.
    1996
  • Dug up ground around the house.
    1996
  • Man working on the ground. Behind view over property. The previous dug up land now more levelled.
    1997
  • Man on bulldozer works land downhill the house. House in renovation process.
    1997
  • Wild meadow and some trees near the house.
    1997
  • Man on a tiny tractor drives on a green meadow - the previous dug up land. Small plants around.
    1998
  • Renovated house on newly terraced hill.
    1998
  • Large water water pool installed downhill the house.
    1998
  • 2 man standing beside large pool. Small trees and bushes begin to grow.
    1999
  • Man on tiny tractor driving along the terrace structured land. Rows of fresh planted trees along the way.
    1999
  • Palm trees and bushes growing on front of house. Fresh green grass grows on the ground.
    2000
  • New looking house up the hill. Downhill trees and bushes growing up.
    2004
  • Vegetation uphill behind the house also intensifies.
    2005
  • Colourful flowers under tree. House in the background.
    2005
  • Vegetation also intensifies on complete terrace structures land downhill in front of the house.
    2005
  • Olive trees and cactuses behind the house.
    2007
  • 2 man working in between bushes with colourful blossoms and trees.
    2007
  • Downhill trees and bushes grow larger and larger. In the back little forest grows up.
    2007
  • Man cutting wood in front of house.
    2011
  • Cactuses, agaves and various types of trees growind up.
    2011
  • Large trees downhill almost obstruct view on the house.
    2014
  • Palm trees and oleander bushes with intensive coloured blossoms beside the house.
    2014
  • Dense vegetation surrounds the large pool downhill.
    2016
  • Needle trees, cactuses and agaves side by side. Olive trees and the house downhill in the back.
    2018
  • The house neraly hidden behind large trees and dense vegetation.
    2018
  • The house totally embedded in the surrounding vegetation.
    2018
Chronological development Contrada Priore, Agrigento, Sicily
  • Ground floor plan of whole terrain gone yellow.
    Plan, 1995
  • Cutted out newspaper article
    La Sicila, Apr 14, 2006

I could transform a “desert” into a cultural oasis (dream), as I can transform a contaminated area into an eco/ artwork or a fertile AU Landscape Install’action. The conditions I assume are basically not very demanding: I enforce a conscious scenography in my AU concept and assign certain roles to specific flora (plantings). I start with a “meter by meter” script and later direct this conceptualized transformation.

Pino Poggi (in: Thoughts on AU Landscape)