In a crowded press conference held at the Braidense Library inside the historic Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Elena Baturina, Russian businesswoman, philanthropist and founder of BE OPEN Foundation represented by director Genandy Terebkov, has received a special diploma from Martin Kater – director of the Botanical Garden – on behalf of Milan University for the important contribution made by the BE OPEN Foundation for the restoration of the Brera Botanical Garden with the new Pool of Thoughts designed by Politecnico di Milano.
The garden is the special setting chosen by the Foundation to present its exhibition The Garden of Wonders, a research on the relation between crafts in the perfume industry and design which is part of Expo in Città – the scheme linking the major events in the city during the Universal Exposition.
Cristina Tajani, alderman for Economic Development, University and Research, highlighted the exhibition as “one of the strongholds of the Expo in Città calendar, which the city of Milan has supported from the very beginning because it helps to give back to the city a jewel still unknown like Orto Botanico”.
Politecnico di Milano will design the Pool of Thoughts, a large sitting object situated in the Western zone of the garden from which the public will be able to contemplate the new wood area; the construction will start in autumn 2015 and will trace the third unbuilt pool described in the original plan of Orto Botanico dating back to the 18th century.
Davide Rampello, curator of Expo’s Padiglione Zero, underlined “the generosity of Mrs. Baturina for an intervention which will remain even when the lights of the Universal Exposition will be switched off”.
The donation is a special thanks to the city of Milan and dedicated to the visitors of Expo 2015 also in the frame of Mrs Baturina’s recent appointment as WE-Women for Expo ambassador, a role she shares with distinguished female leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize winners Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams, female business executives and writers. A unique platform for women to discuss nutrition, sustainability and empowerment, the program was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in accordance with Arnoldo and Alberto Mondadori Foundation.
“As an entrepreneur and mother, I support the need to put women at the center, recognizing their crucial impact on social development and their important role of balancing family and professional responsibilities. Each of these two areas should be treated equally by society and the government, regardless of the system of values and current trends, religious faith, and political or economic regime,” Elena Baturina says.