Materia Viva is a continuing work dedicated to aromatic raw materials: resins, plants, woods, essences, balsams, flowers, seeds, roots.

It comes to life from the interweaving of scent, word, image, and living inquiry. Each material is explored not only for what it does, but for what it carries with it: its history, the place it comes from, the landscape that generates it, the gesture that makes it symbolic, the way it inhabits the world.

It is a notebook — both cultural and sensory, an aromatic e-zine: it traces each material back to its source, crossing lands, customs, trade routes, archives, figures, and sudden intuitions.

A resin, a wood, a flower, an essence become the heart of a research: a path is traced, clues are gathered, the scent is listened to, images are pursued, a form is allowed to surface.

Part of this work settles into texts and digital publications. Part becomes original artwork with fine art printing.

The latest issue is dedicated to Green Sichuan Pepper (Zanthoxylum armatum). Here is an excerpt:

I smell the green Sichuan pepper and something happens that is not yet scent. There is a snappy citrus note, a freshness that speaks of lime and broken leaf, but underneath another promise is already running: that of a vibration. Because this is a material that above all makes things vibrate, and it does so in a way that almost makes you want to laugh — a light, fizzing, surprised tingling.

If you would like to read Materia Viva, contact us via the WhatsApp button on the site to request a free copy.