Luigi Lineri, rock collector

I think about Luigi Lineri all the time. For decades, he has walked alongside the river near his home, bringing home rocks and sorting them by shape, packing rooms in his house and a barn with his finds.

Is it art? Ecological madness? A nightmare? Why are we driven to take and hoard?

“I haven’t counted them and don’t intend to do so but the quantity is significant,” Lineri said. “At first I thought that a few stones for each different shape would be enough and then I understood that in their thousands, they give a sense of community ... For me the quantity is sacred: it takes a lot to build a cathedral. ... When people see the stones, their reactions differ. Some laugh, others cry ... There is a strong energy in this ‘cosmos’ made of stones and whoever touches them has to do so with the respect and right frame of mind. Each day I try to put the stones in order, to give a sense to each chapter of this poem."

He has mentioned possibly returning them to the river, but it is not easy to put something back.