11. Le petit pays des larmes
Awarded on the 22nd of June 2021 by a jury of professionals renowned in the world of garden art
Water, glistening on the leaves in the morning light, is precious. On a summer’s day, just one drop of morning dew trapped by a plant can help it survive through the hottest hours. Birds and insects also know how to quench their thirst.
The garden is filled with plant species that portray these observations. On the leaves of the Cotinus, also known as the smoketree, water glistens like a rare jewel. The same applies to the Alchemilla mollis, known as the garden lady’s mantle. And finally, the Dipsacus is a shrub known to be a favourite with birds and showcases the ability of plants to store water. At the centre of the garden, there is a sort of netting that hangs over mineral slabs. This portrays the delicate web of a spider and gathers rain and dew, before the droplets slide down like marbles onto the grey slabs. This material does not absorb the water. The water is then redistributed to the rest of the garden. The little world created for us celebrates nature as a constant source of wonder and emotion.
DESIGNERS
Eva Willemsen graduated in Landscape Architecture from the Technical University of Delft. She worked at landscape architecture offices, Dutch and International, and is currently a freelance landscape- and (roof)garden designer. She has a strong fascination for art and worked on several art installations- and projects. As a landscape designer she has a special interest in how to use green to make our cities healthier and more livable.
Ellert Haitjema lives and works in Amsterdam. He was trained as a visual artist at the Gerrit Rietveld Art Academie and later on was accepted at the art residency programme of the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam. His works in sculpture, photography, video and installations, as well as his interventions in the public space have been presented in many solo- and group exhibitions (Gallery Fons Welters Amsterdam, Museum de Pont Tilburg and EYE Filmmuseum Amsterdam). He did some important commissioned work for the Ministry of Finance, The Hague and the City of Amsterdam. Next to this, he has published some fine monographs like the extraordinary book Haphazard and is currently working on a new publication. He is tutor at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam from 1995 till now.
Carolien Barkman comes from a family of nurserymen and gardeners. She started her own professional life as a lawyer, but realized that her true passion lies with plants and garden design and changed course to return to the family passion. After working at both a landscaping company and a plant nursery she set up her own design practice in Amsterdam in 1995. She has designed and collaborated on several show gardens and took part in competitions in The Netherlands and France. Her work has been featured in many magazines and books (Gardens Illustrated, Home & Garden, Eden magazine and Noel Kingsbury book New Small Garden).
Frits van Loon is former co-owner of HOSPER, an office for urban and landscape architecture design. He is a professor at the Technical University of Delft where he is teaching on landscape architectonic design with a special interest in the urban metabolic flows. The relation between complex intertwined systems on a regional scale and the landscape architectonic form, shape and experience on the detailed scale is of great interest to him, as are projects that will be realized.
