Kossmanndejong designed a brand-new museum about gardening, that will open this month at a large country estate in the English county of Somerset. Take a look at the complete story after the jump.
From the architects: The need to create a little piece of paradise on earth is universal. Here you will see what that has meant to various cultures throughout the centuries. In the exhibition, you will discover legendary gardens and meet visionary garden designers. With all your senses, you will experience the most distinctive types of gardens and the characteristic elements of which they consist. After your visit, you will never look at a garden in the same way again.
Gardens from all ages and cultures
The word ‘garden’ originates from the Indo-Germanic language, where it means ‘enclosed area’. This basic principle determines the main structure of the exhibition: an enormous green hedge within which nine different gardens are concealed. You step into a different garden world through openings in the hedge each time. For example, you can visit a walled garden in Pompeii, an Islamic oasis or a majestic Renaissance garden. However, an English landscape garden or a Chinese rock garden are also included. An exhibition about power and ideals, belief and love, ecology and nature, form and taste. Gardens are part of all ages and cultures, and each garden therefore tells its own story.
A walk with all the senses
Gardens are ideal places to move through and to experience with all your senses. That is why the spatial, visual, but also aural experience predominate in this exhibition. Even scent and touch play a role. Following a walk across the country estate, you leave your shoes behind at the entrance to the museum and you walk on socks over grass, stones and traditional Japanese tatami mats. No text, only the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects. An audio tour reinforces the experience with unique and informative stories that start playing depending on which space you are in. Using a virtual reality (VR) headset, you can visit the Monet’s garden in Giverny or the Tivoli Gardens in Rome. Through special interactive presentations, we show you the importance of water and sun, the life under the soil, biodiversity and numerous other basic conditions for a healthy and beautiful garden.
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We developed the overarching concept and designed the entire exhibition right down to the smallest details, from the VR show to the hunt for children. We were also responsible for building and developing the content.
Discover more about the project at www.kossmanndejong.nl
