Idroponia

Idroponia in aulide

Matera. italy

A model in 1:1 scale hydroponic urban agriculture has been designed and built next to a house in the Sassi Area of Matera ( Basilicata, South Italy ). Hydroponics is a growing technique that uses water as a way of sustenance and growth of the plants with the addition of the nutrients that the plant needs. The stone of the city of Matera has made possible for its inhabitants to dig and live in the caves still inhabited today. The agricultural heritage of the city has its roots in centuries. The eco-system of caves (Sassi) provided that outer space was used for agricultural production and water management. The peculiarity of the context was the neighborhood unit, a square spontaneous among the caves,vicinity, a place of exchange and relationships between families. In this context, and with the help of engineers, artists, and 3 children of the Sassi, the hydroponic vegetable garden was created and installed in a neighborhood.

The idea of the use of hydroponics was also determined by the need for greater production for the neighborhood. Hydroponics at Aulis is an assonance with the musical and metaphorical Iphigenia in Aulis, Euripides’ tragedy. In Aulis, boats to Troy are locked to a dead calm. Iphigenia is about to be sacrificed to Artemis for the ships to come back to navigate .When she was going to be sacrificed she disappears and in its place Artemis sends a deer. The wind comes back and the fleet could sail to Troy. Made of galvanized iron and steel, the model consists of 4 tanks located on an area of ​​1.70 m x1.30 m, the prototype can hold up to 88 vegetable plants. The experiment aims to be scientific, agricultural, architectural and social demonstrating that it is possible to produce in a small area of consumer goods with a form of cultivation possible alternative and socially rewarding.