2011 edition - Gardens of the future or the art of happy biodiversity

08. La biodiversité en question

published at 03/11/2017

"La biodiversité en question", Festival des Jardins 2011 - © E. Sander

Since time immemorial, human beings have been trying to dominate nature, so as to shape it to their own desires, whether out of curiosity or cupidity. The inspiration for this garden of the future is thus the famous myth of Pandora, the perfect woman created by the Gods and sent to men to punish them for their pride.

In the centre, there is an enormous cube balanced on its corner and covered with plants which symbolises this “Pandora’s box”, half open, out of which various species of plants are escaping, radiating out, reminding us of the great current questions being asked about plant biodiversity.

So that visitors can reflect on this at their leisure, they make their way over large slabs made up of aggregates representing the diversity of soils and substrates; they can also stop for a short rest on the chairs provided for them.

Whether they are medicinal, endemic, ornamental or even invasive, the plants carry within them many of the keys to our future on earth. But are we asking the right questions?

DESIGNERS

AOC Paysage -Olivier CHARDIN, landscape architect- and Anaïs BROCHIERO, assistant landscape photographer

FRANCE

Olivier Chardin is a landscape architect with a Belgian government diploma, a diploma from the Ecole Technique d'Horticulture [Technical Horticultural School] in Douai (France), in the “Gardens and Green Spaces” section (1981) and a diploma from the Institut d'Enseignement Supérieur de l'Etat [State Higher Education Institute] (Gembloux, Belgium) in “Architecture of Gardens and Landscape” (with distinction, 1985). From 1989 to 2003, he was manager of the “Atelier du Jardin Art du Paysage” [Garden and Landscape Art Studio] and worked for Jean Nouvel, François Spoerry, Disney vacation club, etc., mainly on the Côte d’Azur. From 1990 to 2008, he taught at the horticultural high school in Antibes and at the CFPPA [Vocational Training and Agricultural Promotion Centre]. In 2004, he created “AOC paysage” and has specialised in sustainable development, roof gardens, vertical gardens, natural gardens, etc.

Anaïs Brochiero is an assistant landscape photographer. She has been a press photographer for 8 years and has collaborated with various national and international newspapers such as Le Point, L'Express, Le Nouvel Obs, Le Parisien, Le journal du dimanche, L'expansion, Management, El Mundo, Das Bild, The Times, News, Financial Times, Daily Mail, Sunday Times, etc. She has thrown herself into landscape architecture over the last 2 years, her passion, her new direction…

DESIGNERS

THE GARDEN'S PLANTS