09. Le jardin du paradoxe
Awarded on the 12th of June 2024 by a jury of professionals renowned in the world of garden art
This garden showcases a little-known source of life: permafrost. Permafrost is a layer of soil that remains below freezing point for longer than two years. It can be found underneath the boreal forests and in the depths of tundra vegetation, and the life found in these places is conditioned by its presence. It does not interrupt the processes of life, but actually generates lifeforms. Plant selection, growth and animal development are processes that naturally take place on the surface. Today, these ancient ecosystems are under threat from global warming. As permafrost thaws, it releases ammonia, which is a powerful greenhouse gas. This imbalance becomes visible in the garden in the form of landslides, unstable trees and a leaning wooden fence. A sculpture provides a worrying snapshot of the climates and vegetation of the past, much like an full-scale herbarium. This illustration of permafrost also reveals a living underground world that is preserved by the frost, and carries the hope of underlying life. The water droplets represent a time to think, to be both lucid and optimistic and question human adaptation to climate-related challenges.
DESIGNERS
Michal Bučko is a landscape architect who is originally from Slovakia and moved to Belgium over ten years ago. He graduated from the department of horticulture and landscape at the Slovak University of Agriculture (SPU) in Nitra, Slovakia, and then continued his studies at the École Nationale Supérieure de la Nature et du Paysage de Blois (France). He worked for a Belgian design office as a project manager and designer of public spaces and made an active contribution to the improvement of urban environments. He gained a diverse range of experience by working on different projects in Slovakia, France, Belgium and Luxembourg. This year is the second time he is participating in the International Garden Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire, and he will once again be showcasing his creativity and contributing to the dynamic atmosphere at the Festival.
Raphaële de Broissia studied textile design at the École Conte and art at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. She lived in Paris until 2016. Then she moved to Hong Kong and lived there from 2016 to 2020, before finally moving near Annecy. Her work is deeply linked to each individual place she settles in, which she transforms using different media. Everyday materials, accumulation, metamorphosis and renewal are the key elements that influence her work. She started experimenting with installations during her studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. After completing her studies, she took this further by getting involved in projects in unique locations, often with the In Fieri collective she founded. One simple rule applied each time: to respect the specific identity of the location while transforming it using location-specific materials. This is the sort of installation that Raphaële de Broissia displays at her exhibitions. The gallery bears witness to the external research she does in preparation to showcasing the materials she has created. Her most original technique, “Paper Tapestry”, using latex balloons and masking tape, was initially developed for the installation of a cave under the staircase at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. After that, she was called on for many artworks, especially from 2017 in Hong Kong, due to the resemblance of her artwork to the dried fish on the traditional market stalls there. A retrospective of this work was presented at the Frederick Mouraux gallery in Brussels in 2023. Since 2021, Raphaële de Broissia has been curator for the biennial contemporary art show “Légendes Botaniques” at the Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard. A number of prestigious artists have presented their work there, including Sheila Hicks. Preparation for the third edition is underway!
