“Forest2” – Conceptual Garden

Forest2 is a conceptual garden, with three main themes: the manipulation of perception by visual illusion; abstraction of a natural system; and the forest and the emotional response it creates in the person experiencing it. The purpose of the garden is to investigate the idea of abstracting the elements of a natural forest and transposing them on to a square grid, to manipulate them both spatially and in form.

The trees and shrubs in the forest will be arranged on a strict grid, with woodland planting interplanted in stylised natural swathes. The brief to ‘push the boundaries’ will be literally fulfilled by having the garden walled on three sides with mirrors, which will give the illusion of an ‘infinite forest’. Herbaceous plant material will be organised to give the impression of a forest with a clearing, but with a twist – it will also be a meeting place, as signified by two white, boulder shaped seats. The garden is not intended to be primarily functional, but could be adapted to create space in an urban environment, or could be a small secret garden in a much larger garden.