Monica Gagliano

2025 documentary, by Alessandro Bernard e Paolo Ceretto 1h33m

We are immensely pleased to have welcome Monica Gagliano, associate research professor in evolutionary ecology in Australia, researcher and explorer who brings together Western and Indigenous sciences with the goal of developing innovative strategies to restore the health of the planet. Michael Pollan introduced his work on plant consciousness to the public in 2013 in the New Yorker article “The Intelligent Plant.”

Her book “Thus Spoke the Plant,” originally published by Pinguin books Australia, a blend of autobiography and scientific inquiry, urges us to consider plants not as objects, but as beings endowed with subjectivity, consciousness, and will, therefore capable of a distinct point of view and voice. Gagliano recounts her close encounters with plants, as well as with plant shamans, indigenous people who have preserved their traditions, and mystics from around the world. She then integrates all these experiences with a rigorous presentation of recent and important scientific discoveries on communication and cognition in the plant world, a field of research in which she herself plays a leading role. This is a book we warmly encourage you to read.

In the documentary “Il codice del bosco”, two visionary scientists attempt to connect with the spirit of the wounded forest.

Physicist Alessandro Chiolerio uses technology to capture plants’ electrical signals, while ecologist Monica Gagliano explores the secret communications between plants, drawing inspiration from ancient indigenous knowledge.

Through cutting-edge experiments, they investigate the mysterious intelligence of plants, challenging the conventional paradigms of modern science in search of a new way to communicate with nature.

During our conversation, Monica invited us to trust the wisdom of nature, which follows the cycle of life-death-life, and to note the fragility of monocultures, a beautiful metaphor for the need to create multicultural, respectful, and harmonious societies.