The Courier has been given a sneak peek of Garden Futures: Designing with Nature – a major exclusive exhibition opening at V&A Dundee on Saturday May 17 and running until January 25 next year.
The exhibition delves into how garden design impacts us all in useful and joyful ways.
Impacts range from providing food through kitchen gardens and the resurgent allotment movement, to inspiring beautiful designs and artworks. These range from William Morris to contemporary videogames.
So what did I make of it?
Entering the main exhibition space, the first thing that strikes is a huge ‘taxonomy of tools’ display.
Meanwhile, on the adjacent wall, there are giant photographs of allotment holders.
From there, it’s on through a range of immersive exhibits.
Self-watering origami pots made from recycled ocean marine plastic capture the imagination in the sustainably-minded ‘garden of ideas’.
Here, there’s also a giant screen showing a violent Saharan sandstorm.
It’s a reminder that gardens can exist in all manner of environments and at all scales.
Dundee is well represented amongst Garden Futures exhibits
Lampshades made of wheatgrass roots and ash trees grown into chairs open the mind to the concept of “living” functional furniture.
Meanwhile, a collage called the ‘Parliament of Plants’ poses the topical environmental question – what if non-human lifeforms were involved in our decision-making processes?
Dundee is well represented amongst the UK and international exhibits.
These range from the Maxwell Community Garden to the Biome Collective with their videogame that allows players to create a virtual musical garden.
A spotlight on the garden at Maggie’s Dundee, created by Arabella Lennox-Boyd, demonstrates how healing through nature in a peaceful and reflective garden can be an integral part of a cancer care centre.
What is the Eden Project Dundee ‘Living Wall’?
One of the most eye catching and must see Dundee elements is the concept artwork for Eden Project’s ‘Great Living Wall’ of Dundee which will feature in the new Eden Project Scotland.
The plan is for the long south wall of the former gasworks site at East Dock Street to become a vertical ecosystem of climbing plants, flowers for pollinators and wildlife shelters.
While there’s still lots to be done before the landmark £130 million Eden Project Dundee comes to fruition, this element of the exhibition brings the eco attraction another step towards reality in the minds of visitors.
Overall, this exhibition is an immersive, thought provoking, sensory experience that brings home the message that gardens and design are integral to life at all levels, from food production to textiles to video games.
Gardens can range from a window box to a vast estate.
Yet functional garden designs can also be art in themselves.
How many objects are on display?
More than 400 objects are on display in this vibrant and colour-filled exhibition.
They are brought to life through light, sound, texture and a garden scent trail, including the fragrances of rose, jasmine and narcissus.
Visitors are taken on a journey from Persian garden paradises to the sustainable Oban Seaweed Gardens.
The exhibition, which, includes Dior menswear inspired by the garden at Charleston in Sussex, also digs up stories of gardens through time, including creating sanctuaries and empowering communities and individuals to find peace and hope in times of adversity.
Meanwhile, Monty Don has created a podcast while Courier columnist Brian Cunningham, aka, the Ginger Gairdner, is an ambassador, with events planned later in the year.
Garden Futures: Designing with Nature runs from May 17 until January 25 at V&A Dundee.
To book tickets, visit www.vam.ac.uk/dundee
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