Stasi

The project explores the complexity of Alpine forest landscapes, often perceived as pristine environments but in fact shaped by human intervention and climate change. Most spruce forests in Trentino-Alto Adige are managed through forestry practices, while only a small portion remains truly natural. These ecosystems, though seemingly stable, are fragile and increasingly vulnerable in the context of accelerating climate instability.
Storm Vaia in 2018 felled around 14 million trees, revealing the limits of a landscape dominated by monocultures of abeti rossi (Norway spruce). This fast-growing species, with shallow roots, is particularly susceptible to bark beetle (Ips typographus) attacks. Its proliferation—fueled by the abundance of fallen trees and warmer temperatures—is devastating the region’s forests. In the absence of long, cold winters, the insect multiplies rapidly, attacking even healthy trees and causing the death of millions of plants. Estimates suggest that nearly 50 million trees may have been lost—far exceeding the damage caused by Vaia.

Stefano Caimi presents an installation of cables suspended between branches and trunks, visible within the forest, which symbolically highlights the cycles of life and death, the tension between human intervention and nature, and the ecosystem’s capacity for regeneration. The work is inspired by strategies adopted in the “Forest of Giants” in Luserna, where selective logging and targeted pest control techniques reflect the fragile balance that can only be maintained through responsible management.
A further layer of reflection is offered by necromass: deadwood that, in addition to nourishing the soil, is used as bait to control the bark beetle, while simultaneously serving as a rich habitat for biodiversity. Death, in this context, is not an end but part of a vital cycle that ensures renewal and forest resilience.

Stasi, equilibri ecosistemici in divenire is an invitation to observe invisible transformations, fragile balances between life and death, and the human responsibility to safeguard the Alpine natural heritage—now more than ever under threat from climate change.

Bosco dei Giganti, Luserna (TN) The installation can be reached by following the Sentiero dei Giganti trail, with signs placed along the route.

The installation was realised thanks to the support of Fondazione Elpis, curated by Valerio Panella and in collaboration with Damiano Zanocco, Forest Custodian of the Municipality of Luserna.