The terrible storm in the Italian Alps in 2018 knocked down a large number of trees. But they did not go waste – they turned into an ancient Greek amphitheatre designed by Stefano Boeri. The stage is based on several arrays of well-ordered tree trunks and strikes with simple beauty. This spectacular venue for upcoming theatre performances rises up amidst the natural landscape.
The timber was sourced from the site of the natural disaster in North-Eastern Italy. It caused considerable damage to Italian forests, and lead the world to believe in the powerful nature of climate change. Stefano Boeri found the new purpose for the trees and turned them into a stage for specific performance – ‘The Trojan Women’.
This play tells us about the fates of women in Troy who face numerous vicissitudes after their spouses get killed and they have no choice but turn into slaves.
A Dead Forest for the Trojan Women
‘We decided to give to those dead plants the last possibility to be present, erect, and still noble within the classical geometry of the Teatro Greco’s stage‘, Stefano Boeri comments on his work.
Vertical Forest, Albania
His previous projects are inextricably linked with natural elements as well. Even skyscrapers by Stefano Boeri are adorned with live plants. Take the Green Cathedral in the Netherlands or Tirana Vertical Forest in Albania – both literally give a considerable amount of space for both plants and humans to harmoniously coexist together.
The Green Cathedral, Amsterdam