The “Glow Up” project

The Living Art Park (PAV) has the mission of promoting Living Art as a meeting ground between Art and Biology. In 2007 PAV planned and carried out  an educational project called “Glow Up!” which involved students from Turin metropolitan area. The project was meant to deal with phenomena connected with light seen both as a biological way of communication in fireflies and as a means of inspiration for artists. 

On one hand students were asked to analyze fireflies biology and to carry out a survey about the distribution of glow worms in their urban area; on the other hand light was used as a source of inspiration for different kinds of graphic use (Brombin & Camerini, 2009). The final result was a map about Luciola italica distribution in Turin urban area, which will be a meaningful reference for a following research on L.italica distribution and habitat use in Turin urban area (Picchi et al., 2013).

As a result of this research, L. italica populations were recorded along the banks of rivers that cross the city (mainly Po river) and on the hills of the less populated districts of Turin (Colle di Superga, Collina di Pecetto).