With the third issue, From Woods to Wood, this Dolomite trilogy comes to an end. Together with a number of renowned authors, photographers and artists from various fields and disciplines, we at the franzLAB publishing house have had the pleasure of exploring a region that cannot be limited to the obvious but is bursting with diversity. We have compiled our findings for you in three monographs. In each case, the guiding principle is ‘more than apples and cows’—our attitude to life, our way of thinking and our vision for this region.
In Moreness 01, Above the Tree Line, we climbed beyond the forest into the high mountains; in volume two, On Trees and Woods, we delved deep into the forest and the diverse lifeforms it is home to. Finally, in volume three, From Woods to Wood, we follow the scent and grain of a material that exquisitely and significantly influences our lives and imaginations. The focus of this issue is on wood—an important resource for productivity and creativity in the Dolomites. From crafts to contemporary art, from architecture to design, from everyday references to music and science, the essays and photo stories paint an impressive picture. They deal with artistic positions, philosophical considerations, social and economic potential—aspects that deepen traditional knowledge and influence contemporaneity in many ways.
Yes, wood! Perhaps because the closer we have bound ourselves to this plant material over the years, centuries, millennia, millions of years, the more we have distanced ourselves from it. We’ve butchered it, despised it, imitated it, glorified it, worshipped it. Chopped, hacked, penetrated, suppressed and burned it. Revered, idealised, admired, exalted, transfigured and cherished it... perhaps that should be our starting point: the more we pay attention, the deeper we can go and the higher we can climb. And in the end, we may not find much, we may not find anything. In any case, we will not find what we expect. And that’s a good thing... probably...
Anna Quinz
Kunigunde Weissenegger
Editorial to the third issue of MORENESS
Buy your copy of Moreness 03– From Woods to Wood here.
