Tuesday, 19 February 2008 |
For eons, walls of greenery have surrounded people and creatures living
in jungles, rainforests and other lush places.
Ancient Asians and
Europeans since Roman times have paid gardeners to create green art and
sculpture for their gardens, from elaborate topiary sculptures and
mazes to vine-covered walls.
And, of course, we’ve seen inventive uses
of built outdoor space — including rooftops, patios and balconies — as
places to bring more green into our overly concrete-covered lives.
Smudging the line between indoors and outdoors, and playing with the
illusion of greenery where it doesn’t really belong, are also the basis
of some recent installations that we like.
Mass Studies, founded in 2003 by Minsuk Cho in Seoul, Korea, has produced some great examples of this. Among them is Ann Demelmeester’s store (pictured above) in Soul. It is one of only four concept stores showcasing the fashions of the Flemish designer.
Green walls are not just visually interesting and environmentally
beneficial, they add a sense of calm and peace that is difficult to
achieve by other means. The inclusion of real, living plants on a large
scale in places where you don’t expect to see them, also adds other
sensory elements — the scent of the greenery, the sound of water,
perhaps the feeling of humidity around the installation. The organic
texture invites touch and inspires conversation — how was this
installed, how is it cared for, who did it?
We’ve found some interesting green installations, such as this school
in the UK and a hair salon in Japan, but we’d love to see many, many
more. We think there’s room for much more creativity and daring in this
arena, so let us know if you spot remarkable and unusual examples. By
Tuija Seipell Send to
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