SCD Gradates Create Centre Piece for International Garden Festival.



 

Two graduates of Senior College Dunlaoghaire’s garden and landscape design programs have recently completed works on their garden entry for the Festival de Jardins, Ponte de Lima, Portugal.

 

Earlier this year, Paul Cox, a graduate of garden design and Keith Double, a landscape graduate, through their design practice, Annapurna design, submitted a garden proposal to the Festival de Jardins, the internationally acclaimed design event. Having been unanimously accepted by the judging panel, the dynamic duo set about the challenging task of constructing their innovative proposal, which they entitled The Garden of Global Warning. “Traditionally the garden is seen as a microcosm of how we as individuals view the world. This is often a view that is perceived through rose tinted glasses and is rhetorical in its creation; maybe even an antidote to the stresses and strains of everyday life,” explained Paul. “The inspiration for our garden design was the word Chaos, which inspired us to create a very personal representation of all that is chaotic in today’s problematic world which we call home”.

 

Steering away from the norm, the Annapurna team took a conceptual path, utilising metaphor and symbolism to communicate the garden’s serious message. “Central to the design is a large metal globe which represents Earth. The Earth is observed balancing precariously on a mound of rocks,” Explained Keith. “Radiating out from the Earth are a series of arrows. These arrows are coloured red and are meant to represent the lifeblood of planet earth slowly draining away. All of these arrows point at small stone globes which are balancing on a low crumbling wall.” 

 

While the gardens are part funded by the festival organisers, the Annapurna team faced the additional pressure of travelling back and forth to Portugal, not to mention sourcing materials, plants and construction equipment. “As the project evolved we found our budget getting tighter and tighter. We approached Bord Bia for support and Gary Graham was able to help us out,” say Paul. With the economy continuing to create intense challenges for professional designers, the Annapurna’s team achievement in delivering a top quality garden at an international event is a real credit to them.

 

The Festival de Jardins runs until October. See below for additional images and links.

 

Official festival site – great videos: 

 

For information on design courses offered at SCD visit www.scd.ie 

 

A sketch of the guy's proposal 


 

 

Paul gets busy on site 



 

Detailing showing pebble and red arrow junctions
 

The steel globe balances with intentioned precariousness 
 

Light catches water dripping from the globe




A view across the garden. The planting will mature over the summer transforming the garden space as it grows.