The Traveling Plant: Preparatory Logbook

Imanuel Schipper

46°12’08.7″N 8°40’28.0″E Loco / Onsernone Valley / Ticino / Switzerland

Hamburg, Germany
Dramaturg & Performance Studies Scholar

There are some places on the planet where it makes so much sense to be a plant- and nothing else. One of these places is the village Loco in the lower Onsernone Valley in the Canton Ticino. Sun, water and a great soil are vastly available, also many ants, bees and other insects. There is hardly any pollution, only the concentration of CO2 may be low at some days, also will you not find any industrial farming around. One of the best things in that valley of forests and wild rivers are the thousands of stones that the indigenous people (about 700 persons; farmers, basket weavers, wine makers, …) were (and are) using for the constructions of houses, paths, small walls, terraces, bridges and roofs. This grey-glittering gneiss is a quite heavy stone (almost three tons per cubic meter) with great characteristics not only for construction – but they are able to retain the warmth of the sun for some hours while they will keep humidity of the last thunderstorm in the soil underneath. All in all – you will find yourself in an environment that reminds you much more of tropical mountains in South East Asia than of an Alpine setting – and you will easily understand that also some other species (humans, animals, etc.) choose this destination to refill their soul-tanks.