The International Garden Festival at Les Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens presents temporary gardens at the cutting edge of garden design, landscape, architecture, design and environmental art. This year’s theme for design was “Secret Gardens.” First launched in 2000, the International Garden Festival is host to innovative ideas and has presented over 80 gardens by more than 200 designers from fifteen countries and has attracted more than 800,000 visitors. This showcase of a wide range of projects has featured budding designers from a range of different fields. Out of a total 194 proposals submitted by over 500 architects, landscape architects, designers and artists from three countries, the jury selected the following three designs.
After the break, images from 2011′s three selections of “Secret Gardens” from The International Garden Festival.
Heather Ring, landscape architect, Dr. Brenda Parker, plant scientist and Synnøve Fredericks, artist submitted designs for “THE ALGAE Garden,” celebrating the beauty and energy derived from algae. Its diversity and meaning is presented in the organized color and species of algae in plastic sleeve curtains hanging from wooden frames. Often considered an nuisance in garden ponds, here the algae becomes an architectural addition to the landscape and can be admired by visitors for its vibrancy and potential as an energy source.
Urbanbees (Marco Asciutti, architect-landscape designer, Farzaneh Bahrami, artist-designer, Enrique Enriquez, architect-designer and Matteo Muggianu, architect-engineer), of Montréal, Canada, Milan, Italy and Lausanne, Switzerland present Fleur de Sel as their proposal for the design competition. Their perception of a secret is hidden beneath our very feet. The garden is covered in salt, a native and common material that, like a layer of snow, hides the grass, footprints and odors of the garden.
Terragram (Vladimir Sitta, landscape architect and Anita Madura, landscape architect), of Sydney, Australia present the Noli Tangere. Their garden design is formed by a strong geo-textile mat supported by trees and posts. This garden offers the contrast of a dark and strange inner world underneath the mat, with the discovery of natural light, plants and insects at eye level. Holes that perforate the mat allow the surface of the garden to unfold beneath it.
Special mention were also given to two other projects: Suspended Weeds Garden by Vazio S/A, , Brazil, as well as Piezoplot by Abigail Ransmeier and Heinrich Lipp, Germany.
via Bustler
