Nova vida

June 11, 2013 The city of Rio is configured today as the city of contrasts. On the one hand the chaos and misery of the periphery, on the other hand the richness and order in the city. The indiscriminate expansion erodes the land and the consequences are often disastrous floods and landslides that generate soil and intensify the already considerable problems of the suburbs that have been created independently and without any security. The discovery of a diary that belonged to one of my distant ancestors, provokes reflection on the possible future of Rio, in accordance with the laws that govern nature. Here are the thoughts from the diary of Nicolus Quercili. December 31, 1502 I’m on board a large ship led by Captain Gaspar de Lemos. We left Portugal a little over two months ago. We should now be at our next arrival. I agreed to take part in the expedition without knowing what I was going to encounter. My research in the field of botany lead me to exceed my limits and venture into the wild and unknown. I have had the opportunity to learn about an interesting character. He is Italian, his name is Amerigo Vespucci. January 1, 1502 At dawn we were awakened suddenly by a cry. Finally land! After a short time the exploration begins. Soon we reach what seems to be the mouth of a river. The forest is inhabited. We meet with surprise members of an indigenous tribe. I think I distinguished a single word from their lips: carioca. January 2, 1502 Today began the exploration of what has been christened with the name ‘Rio de Janeiro’. I move alone with my notebook, luggage and tools to collect some samples. Of all the plant species that make up the wonderful scenery of this land, I remain fascinated by one plant. It covers a large area of territory to the north. It has small white blossoms. I’ll take it on board to be able to better study the characteristics. Will this be the plant on which to experiment my theory’s secret? January 10, 1502 The Indians call this plant Favela. They have a great respect for this species and confer special properties to it. I have analysed it for days and have now decided to use it for my experiment. I will try to pair the seeds of this plant with a kind created in my lab. June 12, 1502 Now you may think this is crazy, but it does not matter. The plants continue to grow, but something seems to have gone wrong. The first plant was born from the combination of the favelas with the variety imported from Portugal and it is generating the cocoons of an organic material that I had never seen before. My goal is to generate a hybrid variety adaptable to any type of climate and environment. September 1, 1503 This new variety has reached an unexpected outcome. The small plants grow by developing thick membranes that resemble real casings. Why do plants react to intersection by generating these strange shells? If they reached great heights they may even, accommodate people, almost as if they were real organic houses.