Marguerite Humeau conceived a monumental sculpture especially for the Art Park. Placed alongside Nebbiolo grapevines on top of the Hill of San Licerio, Rise means growth, birth, a new beginning. Realised in smelt aluminium, it comprises multiple parts exploding from its centre. Every module recreates in large scale the grapevines’ microscopic male and female flowers. The twine evokes their first pollination, the encounter that generated the first hermaphrodite flower, typical of the Sativa subspecies of Vitis vinifera, which resulted from savvy selection performed by ancient vine growers. The work was born out of a deep study that involved the local community and experts: wine producers, researchers on alchemic traditions and healers, geologists, specialists in renewable energy and biotechnology, botanists, and biologists.

The sculpture alludes to a “tree of life”, an Axis Mundi connecting the earth to the cosmos, a recurring symbol in many cultures; at the same time, it was inspired by recent studies on determining the sex of grapevines, which were carried out in the fields of biology and genetics. Rise calls to mind the synapses of neural networks, but also the effect of speed technology on artificial bodies and objects. As the artist explained, it seems to capture either an act of love or one of intense violence, while twirling in the wind.