THE ETERNAL SPRING OF MAGICAL MYSTERY GARDEN
WRITTEN BY VICTORIA GENZINI Images courtesy of Magical Mystery GardenMagical Mystery Garden is a whimsical simulacrum of nature, a complex digital ecosystem that explores the relationship between plants and the digital realm. It questions and challenges our mundane perception and experience of the naturescape by communicating with psychedelia, semiotics, the folk and the cyber. It is a locus amoenus built of virtual moss and meta fungi, with connotations of Eden that evoke the wish of an eternal spring. It is a vehicle to explore the hybridization of botanics together with the impact of A.I. on gardening in metaphysical reality.
Magical Mystery Garden is a project conceived and realized by Alison Bizzi (1994), the art director, that together with the MMG team, each time invites artists to collaborate on different projects by focusing on digital art, visual art, music, psychedelia, cooking, installations and of course gardening. The MMG collective is also composed by Tullio Grani & Maditha De Paoli. Maditha is a hybrid figure, with a polyhedric approach to the world of work and visual arts, in which always emerges a strong tension towards nature. Tullio is an Italian director and videomaker specializing in commercial, artistic, and documentary projects. His work blends advanced technologies with a dreamlike imagery and a cinematic imprint.
The project is curated by Victoria Genzini.
Magical Mystery Garden’s first act was presented in December 2023 in Milan at Galleria N.51. Titled the “Mazapegul Mazapatec dinner convivium,” the one night only event was conceived as an immersive dining experience.
MMG invited the avant-garde fermentation chef Piero Passacantando, whose research consists of a constant quest to discover the wonders of good bacteria to create new contaminated tastes. During the convivium, surrounded by an eryngium and fern plant smoky installation, guests were served a selection of dishes with ingredients fermented by chef Passacantando himself, such as Nopales cactus and leeks quiches topped with sheep ricotta, avocado and pickled red onion, 13 years sourdough “Pieradillas” crepes with alpine cheese from Alta Badia, sandwich with saké-marinated Portobello mushrooms, his mother’s sweet & sour pickles and confit tomatoes chutney.
Sliders with saké-marinated shredded King Oyster mushrooms with pickled onions and cucumber guacamole; crispy Koji fermented rice pattie topped with sautéed Kombucha scoby. All whilst sipping black tea Kombucha infused with hibiscus flowers. The Italian moss genius Marco Cesari, owner of the terrarium and plant store MOSSHELTER, helped MMG bring to life the plantasia fantasy with real moss, flowers and hand-rolled incense to catapult everyone into a whimsical dimension. All pictures were taken by Giovanni Fazzini.
The second act of Magical Mystery Garden took place in the enchanted niche that is the Adamello Valley, in the small town of Cevo (Brescia) – where the Campo Base project festival is held.
The Lughnasadh installation, held in a deconsecrated church, was accompanied by live sets and sound baths from Flux By Uchiha and Dj Barefoot. Lughnasadh is a traditional neo pagan holiday which is a meeting point between various cultures, such as Celtic and Scandinavian and marks the beginning of the harvest season, typically celebrated on August 1st. Named after the Celtic god Lugh, the festival traditionally recalls the sacrifice of the God in the form of grain; in his cycle of death, to provide nourishment to the people and rebirth. Some symbols associated with Lugh are the sun and the wheat stalks, which were also used in the installation. Historically, it was a time to give thanks for the first fruits of the season, particularly grains like wheat and barley, and it was marked by community feasts, fairs, athletic contests, and ritual offerings were offered to the deities to ensure continued abundance and future harvests.
Lughnasadh carries a deep symbolic meaning, representing both the literal and metaphorical act of reaping what has been sown.
Traditionally, it would include rituals that honor the cycles of life, death, and rebirth, with community gatherings that reflect on the interconnectedness of nature and human life. Surrounded by hanging wreaths and a Maypole (popular in many countries and a tradition that has lasted to this day), which is a totem to represent nature blessing the deconsecrated church, bringing the central focus back to nature: all elements were made with local plants such as hydrangeas, twisted hazel, wheat stalks and dried daisies, guests were invited to chill and meditate through a sensorial experience guided by the music played live by Flux By Uchiha and Dj Barefoot. During the happening, a special lunch art-directed together with Yuri Kaban was served by the MMG collective. The Inox lunch, aptly titled as focusing on food that has antioxidant properties, was composed by a selection of plates such as celeriac marinated in soy and sesame oil, matcha plumcake, tomato and watermelon gazpacho, a red cabbage salad and another salad with plenty of antioxidants such as Pecan nuts.
The Third Act of Magical Mystery Garden is an upcoming exhibition at Galleria Studio Ferrari 3A in Bologna, featuring a groundbreaking video installation by Tullio Grani called “The Hashih Castle.” produced by Cannabis Protectio based in Bologna.
This innovative piece was created using a combination of hashish and marijuana—two plants with deep-rooted histories in human culture—as its primary materials. These plants become the foundation for an architectural marvel, inviting discussions about nature, legality, and artistic expression. The installation, a castle made entirely of bricks of hashish, highlights the recreational and childlike wonder of playing with natural elements, albeit if they are considered illegal. These plants, known for their psychoactive and medicinal properties, are presented in a completely new light, transforming from controversial substances to the building blocks of an imaginative, organic structure. By using hashish and marijuana, the exhibition blurs the lines between art, cultivation, and legality. The intricate weaving of the plants into the castle’s form celebrates their botanical resilience and historical significance.
As per the text written for the upcoming exhibition by Marta Zaninello:
“According to a widespread and somewhat legendary hypothesis, the origin of the term ‘hashish’ is linked to the renowned Ismaili Order of the Assassins, active in Persia and Syria between the 11th and 13th centuries, founded by Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ, also known as the ‘Old Man of the Mountain.’ The order emerged as a result of a deep internal schism within the Ismaili movement, which led to the Nizaris rebelling against the Seljuk rule and separating from Egypt. Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ established the castle of Alamut, hidden in the Syrian mountains, as the headquarters of the new Order. What better place than an impregnable fortress, the quintessential symbol of pride, protection, and strength.”
The Hashish Castle encourages viewers to reflect not just on the legality of marijuana but also on its biological and ecological roles. The installation asks audiences to reconsider their relationship with plants, pushing them to appreciate their natural beauty, complexity, and potential beyond societal taboos. Music for the video installation is composed by Leone Ciocchetti, known as Leo Xyz.
And what’s next for this whimsical nomadic garden ?
A Parisian spring !
ACT I
Art direction: Alison Bizzi
Pictures & editi by: Tullio Grani, Giovanni Fazzini
Lights: Roxana Ceron Vergani
Chef Piero Passacatondo
Set up Marco Cesari
ACT II
Art direction: Alison Bizzi
Research & concept: Alison Bizzi, Maditha De Paoli
Installed by: Alison Bizzi, Maditha De Paoli, Davide De Paoli, Roxana Ceron Vergari & Tullio Grani
Pictures & edit by: Tullio Grani
Lights: Roxana Ceron Vergari
ACT III
#CannabisProtectio & #MMG