Birth by Spear (Minerva thrust the spear and gave birth to the Olive Tree)
2010
Indigenous plants, terracotta tiles, stainless steel
Tuscany, Italy
1 acre

The Birth by Spear reintroduced the original olive trees to Tuscany in 2011. Through research, he found the original olive trees along with tress which would have coexisted with them two thousand years ago. Surrounding the forest are Renaissance terracotta tiles that were specifically fired in kilns from the 14th century. The spear at the center of the environmental landscape is an allegory for Minerva giving birth to the olive tree by thrusting a spear into the earth. Inscribed on tiles were comments from the community of Tuscany, young to old, expressing their meaning of the olive.