02. Le sentiment bleu
published at 13/10/2017
The colour blue triggers a succession of sensations and perceptions ranging from the silent depth of the colour to fear and anxiety.
Like in the film “Blue” by Derek Jarman, a voice-off tells the story of the author’s life in a succession of feelings and moods aimed at plunging visitors in a sensory perception of the colour of plants.
The designers of this garden have sought to express the sentiments of colours presented by the artist and film-maker Derek Jarman, who was strongly committed to the fight against AIDS.
This garden is very closely tied in with the film “Blue”, a testament to the artist who died in 1994.
Designers
Mattéo VERONESE, landscape architect and Martina MANGOLINI, architect
ITALY
Matteo Veronese
“My interest in gardens started in the Eighties, when I visited Nymphenburg Castle and its botanical gardens in Munich. Something of that place bewitched me, but at the time I was not fully aware of the fact and my career began to direct me towards buildings. After completing my studies, it did not take me long to understand that I was destined to build gardens rather than houses. And so, I decided to go and work in a plant nursery near my home, to see whether my attraction for gardens was just a flash in the pan or something more, and I found myself attending garden design courses and subsequently Genoa University. A real turning point in my career. During a trip to Brazil to discover the work of Roberto Burle Marx, I was able to obtain a better idea of the relationship between human beings and nature in a garden. The wilderness can only be “tamed”, and paradises called gardens can only be created thanks to strong sensitivity and extensive knowledge. From a concept viewpoint, today I feel close to the Dutch landscape architect, Piet Oudolf, who makes extensive use of spontaneous plants and creates projects the real objective of which is to encourage nature rather than restrain it. My commitment is therefore directed towards a garden in constant dialogue with the landscape context in which it grows, aware of its importance for those who enjoy it, with the aim of stimulating emotions and provoking changing sensations during the seasons. Research is ongoing, a constant exploration and, in my opinion, a lot still remains to be discovered.”
Martina Mangolini
“When I was a youngster, I had already decided what my job would be. I found designing houses and organizing spaces fascinating and amusing; I thus completed my studies and graduated in architecture from the IUAV in Venice with a dissertation entitled “considerations and ideas for a museum Park on the Po Delta”, and it was precisely with my degree project that I began to see architecture not only as putting together bricks and concrete but as a combination of dialoguing spaces, sometimes buildings and sometimes gardens. I immediately began working in the local dimension, concentrating mainly on restructuring and restoring buildings, a convinced supporter of the re-use concept applied to buildings as a valid alternative to the constant loss of land area which characterises our country today. At the same time, research continued into achieving new quality standards for buildings, with a correct shape-content ratio. My projects start with a careful analysis of the landscape and architectural context. I study the shapes and geometries produced by combining materials and contents, and the goal is always to achieve architectural quality, both in terms of liveability and sustainability. Today, my time is dedicated to area-scale landscape architectural projects with the aim of bringing people closer to the area in which they live, so they can appreciate its beauty and natural characteristics, so they see it as their home.”
