Exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum
Garden Futures: Perspectives of Garden Design
Derek Jarmans Prospect Cottage, Great Britain, © Howard Sooley
With the Garden Futures exhibition, the Vitra Design Museum is presenting the modern garden for the first time. Apart from the development of gardens, the show also addresses future perspectives of garden design with respect to social justice, biodiversity and sustainability. Many examples from design, everyday culture and landscape architecture will be on display at the museum until 3 October 2023.
Oudolf Garden on the Vitra Campus, © Dejan Jovanovic
Our relationship with nature
At the beginning of the four-part exhibition, media installations introduce the theme. Works from art and architecture by Hans Thoma, Alvar Aalto, Luis Barragán and other artists demonstrate that the garden is never merely a private retreat, but rather reflects not only our own relationship with nature, but also that of entire societies and periods. Each garden appears as a place imbued with deep symbolic meaning apart from its practical use in daily life.
The history of the garden
Next, the exhibition shows the development of garden design in its historical context. The connection with social developments, as well as political and economic interests, illustrates that the garden is much more than a place for relaxation. A wall-high video installation presents the design process, starting with Baroque gardens and leading up to contemporary projects based on social activism.
Bosco Verticale, Milan, © Stefano Boeri Architetti, The Blink Fish
Diverse garden designs
The third part responds to various questions, such as the possible integration of gardens into urban surroundings. Nine specimens demonstrate that gardens express the artistic attitudes of their designers in a variety of ways. With examples ranging from socially initiated communal gardens in large cities to vertical urban gardens, the museum informs visitors about the diversity of design possibilities.
Julien de Cerval, The Gardens of Marqueyssac, Vézac, France, © Laugery – Les Jardins de Marqueyssac, Dordogne, France
Construction phase of the community garden Kebun-Kebun Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, 2017, © With kind support by Kebun-Kebun Bangsar
Gardens today
Finally, the exhibition examines the future of the garden. A walkable textile meadow aims to raise awareness of landscapes threatened by climate change. Current garden projects – depicted in a 6-m-long illustration – clarify how this awareness can be conveyed to cities, schools and other segments of the public. The message of these projects: at this time, we must see our entire planet as a garden in need of responsible care.
Alexandra Kehayoglou, Santa Cruz River, Carpet, National Gallery of Victoria, 2016/17, © Alexandra Kehayoglou
A travelling exhibition
After its introduction at the Vitra Design Museum, the exhibition will be shown throughout Europe over the coming two years. Shows in Helsinki, Värnamo, Rotterdam and Dundee have been planned; other stops will follow.
Exhibition venue: Vitra Design Museum, Charles-Eames-Straße 2, Weil am Rhein (DE)
Exhibition duration: 25. March until 03. October 2023
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 10 am - 6 pm
More Information: design-museum.de/en
Gallery
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