The exhibition Garden Futures, the first to explore the history and future of the modern garden, is on show from 25 March to 3 October at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein.
Garden Futures in Vitra Design Museum. Photo: Ludger Paffrath.
Gardens reflect identities, dreams, and visions; they are deeply rooted in our culture. Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in the garden – not only as a romantic idyll, but as a field of experimentation for concepts related to social justice, climate change, biodiversity, and a sustainable future. Gardens have become places of the avant-garde.
Designed by the Italian studio Formafantasma, the exhibition »Garden Futures« at the Vitra Design Museum will be the first to explore the history and future of the modern garden. Which movements and theories have influenced our contemporary garden ideals? How can horticulture contribute to a more sustainable future and a good life for everyone? The exhibition addresses these and similar questions using examples from design, everyday culture, and landscape architecture – from contemporary community gardens to green façades and vertical urban farms, from deckchairs to gardens created by designers and artists like Roberto Burle Marx, Jamaica Kincaid, Mien Ruys, and Derek Jarman.
Derek Jarman, Prospect Cottage Garden at Dungeness, Kent, UK, from 1986 Photo: Howard Sooley, 1993