Around Pollinators by Lucía Loren
In “Around Pollinators,” environmental Spanish artist Lucía Loren raises a reflection on the fundamental role of native biotopes in generating resilience in the face of the serious threat of climate change.
With this purpose in mind, Lucía Loren proposes the creation of a garden of native plants that seeks to attract and feed local populations of fauna, improving their habitats, air quality and biodiversity. The selection of these native plants has been made based on the three zones in the region: coastal, piedmont and mountain, with the collaboration of William H. Sullivan, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Student at the University of Maryland College Park.
Assembled in these parterres of native plants, sculptural devices made with artisanal construction techniques of wood and ceramics are distributed, forming the necessary habitats to incentivize biotic pollinators to settle. Pollination is critical in the ecosystem to ensure food and the survival of all species, and in the urban area in particular, these benefits are essential to improve the environmental health of city dwellers.
This project is a continuation of Around Nature, a garden project designed by Spanish Artist Juanli Carrion and commissioned by the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain on the occasion of the 5th Centennial of the first trip around the world by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano. The garden was designed to question the gastronomic and ecological consequences of this trip that sat the bases for our current globalized world, and was installed on the grounds of the Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain from June to November, 2021. Around Pollinators reuses and repurposes the structures designed by Juanli Carrión.
Special opening on April 22, from 11 am to 1 pm, concurring with World Earth Day. Roses and books will also be given to visitors as part of a pre-celebration of World Book Day and Sant Jordi Day, traditionally celebrated on April 23.