The Flying Gardeners

A short movie tells the story of Massimo, Giovanni and Gilberto, three of the “flying gardeners” who take care of the Bosco Verticale and who deeply know the life that inhabit the sky above Milan.

“The best way to describe a skyscraper wrapped up with trees is by doing it through the point of view of the ones who take care of it, these extraordinary flying arboriculturists who explore and preserve in the sky of Milan the biodiversity of the Bosco Verticale”. 

With these words on October 8, Stefano Boeri presented at Palazzo Bocconi – Azimut Consulting headquarte in Milan – the short movie dedicated to the “flying gardeners” of the Bosco Verticale.

A picture from the backstage of The Flying Gardeners, short movie conceived by Stefano Boeri and realizaed by Blink Fish

Technically the “flying gardeners” are tree climbers, expert arboriculturists who often merge together a deep knowledge of arboreal vegetation with a passion for climbing or speleology, giving rise to an always more valuable job. The “flying gardeners” climb down from the top of the towers of the Bosco Verticale once every three months by using 300 meters long ropes and, floor by floor, they trim, prune, shorten and control the foliage of the trees on the balconies of the skyscrapers designed by Boeri Studio and realized by Manfredi Catella, CEO of Coima sgr.

The movie – which debut at the Shanghai Biennial on the 29th of September and has been presented at the Chicago Architecture Biennial few days ago – is born from an idea of Stefano Boeri and it has been realized by Blink Fish.

A picture from the backstage of <i>The Flying Gardeners</i>, short movie conceived by Stefano Boeri and realizaed by Blink Fish
A picture from the backstage of <i>The Flying Gardeners</i>, short movie conceived by Stefano Boeri and realizaed by Blink Fish
A picture from the backstage of <i>The Flying Gardeners</i>, short movie conceived by Stefano Boeri and realizaed by Blink Fish
A picture from the backstage of <i>The Flying Gardeners</i>, short movie conceived by Stefano Boeri and realizaed by Blink Fish
A picture from the backstage of <i>The Flying Gardeners</i>, short movie conceived by Stefano Boeri and realizaed by Blink Fish
A picture from the backstage of <i>The Flying Gardeners</i>, short movie conceived by Stefano Boeri and realizaed by Blink Fish
A picture from the backstage of <i>The Flying Gardeners</i>, short movie conceived by Stefano Boeri and realizaed by Blink Fish


The Flying Gardeners
conceived by: Stefano Boeri
realized by: Blink Fish
with the support of: Chicago Architecture Biennial and Francesca Parvizyar (Milan cultural Ambassador in Chicago)
Sponsor: Azimut Consulenza, Solidea, ICE, Consolato generale Italiano a Chicago, Chirico Design, Consorzio Orgoglio Brescia