Landscape Design and Gardens

A lecture by
Jonathan Fargion, Landscape Designer

Focusing on the concept of landscape design and gardens through the evolution of Homo sapiens, from the agricultural revolution, through the need of expressing religious thoughts, to the rise of the magnificent ornamental gardens that reigned for a long time in history in the homes of the richest and most powerful elites. Reaching an apex with the gardens of the Italian renaissance, where nature is under the strict human control and rigor.

Today, landscape design and gardens are assuming a new strong ecological and environmental value. Not only do they provide nourishment for the soul, they provide trees and flowers. Trees are the best way to fight global warming; and flowers provide food for bees and other pollinators, helping to sustain their lives.

After the lecture, i-Italy and NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò will host a party in the Casa's beautiful garden to celebrate Nature and the importance of engaging in sustainability, particularly for those of us working in the field of media and communication. Refreshments will be kindly provided by the Italian Chef Association of New York (AICNY).

Jonathan Fargion is a landscape designer. He grew up in Milan where he received his master in environmental architecture from the Politecnico di Milano with a thesis on the history of architectural representation in Disney animations. After working for major architectural firms like Fuksas Architects in Rome and Daniel Libeskind in New York, he decided that concrete was not going to be his future. With a specialization in ornamental horticulture from the New York Botanical Garden, Jonathan works for Rees Roberts and Partners, practicing his combination of architectural background and plants knowledge. With Rees Roberts he worked on projects like the Dolce & Gabbana courtyard in Saint Barth’s and the gardens of The Jaffa Hotel in Israel. Jonathan Fargion writes for i-Italy.org about sustainable landscape design.

In ENGLISH.