A Conversation of Views (2003-2006)
in Gairloch Gardens

PLANT transform an under-used and much neglected part of Gairloch Gardens into a site for observation and contemplation. A collaborative architecture, landscape and design team from Toronto, they have been examining, over the past few years, ways in which to create a lively dialogue between viewer, built form and landscape using a cross-disciplinary approach.

The area they have chosen to work with was once a former service yard on the Gairloch estate. All signs of the hired staff, dog kennels and laundry are now completely gone, but the cedar hedges planted to hide and maintain the picturesque views from the house remain, forming a room-like garden enclosure. Now that it is empty, PLANT have discovered that the hedges have created an unintentional aesthetic envelope that incorporates a framed view of the lake, a copse of trees and a cedar wall leading south past the tea house. They will explore the tension between these edges and promote a dialogue within this interior space.

Objects placed in the room-like enclosure will change the nature of how this space is experienced. The installation will create new perceptions of the landscape as all the senses mesh with things remembered and experienced.