The Land of Lila, formerly Terracotta Farmacia, is a multidisciplinary land based art project—home to a medicine garden, small batch artisan apothecary and art workshop.
The apothecary features a full spectrum of whole plant medicine, with a focus on topical preparations—specifically hydrosols and herbal soap. I make all of the apothecary offerings in house by hand, from seed to bottle, in limited editions from season to season. I take care of my medicine garden in the same ecological way my contadini ancestors did—with respect for the living soil and larger ecosystem—by not tilling, feeding the soil, and nurturing diverse densely planted polycultures. The menstruums I use are sourced directly from small ethical producers I have relationships with. Herbalism has been a part of my life from the beginning, it is how my family has always taken care of themselves and those around them. This work is a continuation of the ways I was brought up with—growing food and medicine, preserving and transforming the harvest, and being in service to the village.
Rooted in the artisan traditions of my people and a deep love of heirlooms, ancient artifacts, folklore and feminist fairy tales—my art practice is about preservation, subversion, and creating things to last. Each work serves as a record of a life, practice, or story arising from my lived experiences and the stories passed to me. My art is a way of keeping life ways, and the truths of those of us reproducing it alive without over-intellectualizing it or giving away the secrets.
“Art, I noted, can convey truths suppressed by dominant institutions.”
—Lucia Chiavola Birnbaun, The Future has an Ancient Heart
My work is an act of remembrance in service to the Earth Mother, enchantment, and the great mystery.
My people come from the Mountains and coasts of Southern Italy. I grew up in a matriarchal household in a diverse working class community and the love, camaraderie, and ingenuity I experienced has deeply shaped who I am. I stand firmly in solidarity with all workers and people rejecting their oppression and working towards liberation worldwide. I operate outside the margins and am interested in telling stories that often remain in the dark. My deep unwavering love of and connection to the land is the driving force of my life and work and I hope to help others remember how vital all of our connections with land truly are, as empire continues to sever this connection, enclose the land, and exploit our material existence.
rite of instruction
may it continue
rite of passage
may it continue
love in the morning, love in the moon sun
love in the evening among crickets
may it continue
long tales by fire, by window, in fog, in dusk on the mesa
may it continue
love in thick midnight, fierce joy of old ones loving
may it continue
the night music
may it continue
may the wind deal kindly w/ us
may the fire remember our names
may springs flow, rain fall again
may the land grow green, may it swallow our mistakes
excerpts from REVOLUTIONARY LETTER #68 LIFE CHANT by Diane di Prima
Big Love,
Samantha Maria Blancato
