Palm Tree Studies in South Tyrol and Beyond

A peculiar phenomenon of the Northern Italian city Merano is its large population of palm trees, which were first planted around 1880 as the city was transforming into a health resort and a tourist destination. With her artists’ book, Nanna Debois Buhl seeks to trace the palm trees’ botanical trajectories and symbolic dimensions. The publication presents Buhl’s research through a collection of materials including conversations with the Merano-based botanist Otto Huber, the design scholar specialised in wallpapers Joanna Banham, and the architect Susanne Stacher specialised in alpine architecture, as well as photos and photograms by the artist, old postcards and touristic posters of Merano, historical and scientific images of palm trees. Published on the occasion of the public art exhibition Art & Nature 2016 Walking With Senses, Merano Spring Festival, curated by BAU.