Cultural Heritage and Botany in and of the Mediterranean

Invasive Venice algae are just one example of the constant change of the vegetal biome of the global Mediterranean of the twentieth and twenty-first century, with a visible impact on cultural heritage. The research project is concerned with spontaneous growth, plantations, or plant engineering by looking into various sites or regions of the Mediterranean. The area is known for its rich biodiversity, various microclimates, but also the loss of endemic vegetation. The study touches upon topics such as the making of (urban) landscapes and natural heritage, the impact of trade and economy, colonialism and Mediterranean essentialism, temporalities of growths, paradise lost and reclaimed. It will discuss these questions from the perspective of art history, with a particular interest on discourses on beauty and the nature/culture divide that is invoked in relation to the global Mediterranean and its historiography. Moreover, it studies discourses on botanical Mediterraneanism and their impact on artists, architects, and heritage practices. The project focuses on specific plants – among others pines – and the flora at archeological sites, but looks also into institutions such as the Botanical Gardens of Palermo or the today suppressed Istituto Agronomico d’Oltremare in Florence.