merrill lynch
award: gold medal
size: 230m2
photography: helen fickling
I always want a garden to be intriguing and engaging and if I can make people stop and think then I consider it a success. Here the voids within the pool have water pouring into them silently and imperceptibly. The water contains an organic black dye making it highly reflective whilst disguising all the workings, it is impossible to look into the bottom of any of the voids from any point in the garden and because the voids are not reflective it makes it difficult to understand exactly what you are looking at.
The starting point for this garden were the 50 oak cubes in four different sizes. I got the idea from the Giants Causeway in Ireland and I wanted it be a sculptural installation, a path and then seating. Although it wasn’t a real, permanent garden I designed it as though it were and I had visions of the planting dying down in winter to reveal the oak cubes in all their glory.
