THE IOI GARDEN
COMPETITION ENTRY/ METIS INTERNATIONAL GARDEN FESTIVAL/ SECRET GARDENS
SUBMISSION DATE: FALL 2011
TYPE: INSTALLATION/LANDSCAPE
Garden IOI creates a double condition by allowing for a contemplation space to coexist with a gathering space. The calm of the concealed garden contrasts the animation of the outer garden’s undulating ground. A semi-translucent wall mediates the two spaces and acts as a cryptic element, simultaneously uniting and separating them, constantly reminding one the importance of the other. Conceived as an undulating plane, the outer garden draws in the visitors and invites them to gather and play on the gentle slopes. It is covered in grass, subtly playing on the notion of an informal space, and creates a foreground to the inner garden. The in-between layer is a faceted wall, which retains ground below and shields the inner garden from the visitors’ gaze above. The synthetic fabric covering the structure creates a semi-translucent cover from far, and allows a faint view of the inner garden up close. Perambulating the wall leads to the discovery of its only opening. Inside the inner garden, visitors proceed down a sloping path through the three “clos”. Each “clos” comprises a dominant color with meticulously selected perennials and a wild grass of the same color. The path starts at the animated “amaranthum”, goes through the lively “aureate” and culminates in the serene “blanca”. The experience of meandering through the different layers of the garden is staged to calibrate one’s sense of isolation, while going inward towards the core, and one’s gradual awareness of re-joining the crowd by doing the reverse.