Gardens of the Future Exhibition

Spontaneous gardens of bewilderment

The British Library invited ten award winning designers to bring their unique vision to a series of garden types, both public and private, to inspire, motivate and provoke. Eelco Hooftman -founding director of GROSS. MAX.  was given ‘Botanic Garden of the Future’ to speculate upon. The response – a written manifesto and a play of cards. The manifesto states that botanic gardens of the future will be the antidote of the botanic garden of the past. Plants are on the move due to climate change; the botanic garden of the future will become migratory devices-not just for an individual specimen but refugium for entire plant communities. Botanic Gardens of the future will be liberated, no longer planted but uprooted and self-seeded. They are spontaneous gardens of bewilderment, contemporary cabinets of curiosity-sanctuaries and safe havens for botanic down and outs, inciting wonder and surprise. The accompanying game is a set of 18 illustrated cards each depicting a botanical speculation.  The set of cards -inspired by 19th century ‘Myriorama Craze’, can be freely arranged and re-arranged forming different, near infinitive, interchangeable botanical assemblages to entertain and inform.

The invited designs for “Gardens of the Future-unique visions for a changing world” featured in both exhibition and book publication. The book launch was accompanied by a series of public presentations.