Exploring, documenting and narrating landscapes. An interview about the International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens

We present an interview on the experience of the International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens, organised since 1990 by the Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche and awarded for the 33rd time in 2024. This Prize is a research project focused on the study and care of places particularly rich in natural, historical, and creative values. One of the key features of this Prize is that it is awarded to specific places recognized for their value, rather than necessarily to iconic objects. The mission of the Prize is precisely to study and communicate the values identified by the Scientific Committee in the selected places. Often, these are landscapes and specific places created through the meticulous efforts of the communities living there (e.g., the Tea Gardens of Dazhangshan in China or the Wild Apple Forests of the Tien Shan in Kazakhstan), or landscapes that exist thanks to a very close relationship between forms of life and forms of land (e.g., the Jardín de Cactus in Lanzarote or the Valleys of Güllüdere and Kızılçukur in Cappadocia). Reflecting on the different editions of this Prize, we see a selection of positive past and present experiences, many of which are not yet sufficiently recognized as good examples and practices. After the selection, research, and documentation stages, the activities related to the Prize include two books (usually in Italian and in English), numerous public events, an exhibition, and, since 2014, the production of a documentary film dedicated to the awarded place, its history, and its transformations. For this reason, this Prize can also be considered as an important platform to reflect on the role of photography and documentary film in shaping a contemporary way of narrating and understanding these challenging landscapes.