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During the past decade as I traveled around the world by car, bus, train, rickshaw, scooters, and foot I came upon many gardens in between destinations. These gardens, with benches to sit on provided me space for ideas. After my return from my artist/residency in Japan I started to contemplate gardens as a refuge, a seemingly contradictory idea but maybe not. Gardens often have protected vantage points in which one can sit and view the garden, creating a transcendent space similar to the waiting time in a shelter. My garden projects 2002-2011 are detailed below and are inspired by these experiences and my love of gardens

Refuge, a Wish Garden, is an outdoor, interactive cross-cultural hybrid pubic artwork that consists of references to Japanese Zen sand gardens, mounds of prayer stones found in Tibet and Korea, Indian flower mandalas and the universal wishing tree. It is comprised of a 30-40 foot circle of sand, inside of which eight benches are placed around a large tree in a circular fashion mirroring a feng shui pa kua. The directions for feng shui are used to energize. Each direction of a bench corresponds to a color, an element, and an aspect of life.

North—blue—water—career
Northeast—beige—small earth—education/knowledge
East-brown/green—strong wood—family and health
Southeast—green—small wood—wealth and prosperity
South—red—fire—recognition and fame
Southwest—yellow—strong earth—marriage/romance
West—metallic white gold—small metal—children
Nothwest—metallic white gold—strong metal—mentors

The benches are protected vantage points in which one can sit creating a transcendent space for meditation, protection, and wishing before one makes an action. Each direction corresponds to a color, an element, and an aspect of life. Baskets placed between the benches are filled with cloth/fabrics to tie on the tree, rocks to pile up, sticks to draw on the sand and flowers to place anywhere. The pubic is invited to transform the site and engage in creative expression.The benches are protected vantage points in which one can sit creating a transcendent space for meditation, protection, and wishing before one makes an action. Each direction corresponds to a color, an element, and an aspect of life. Baskets placed between the benches are filled with cloth/fabrics to tie on the tree, rocks to pile up, sticks to draw on the sand and flowers to place anywhere. The pubic is invited to transform the site and engage in creative expression.

The Flower Tree; the Language of Love is designed as a living garden mandala with the tree at the center. Circling the tree, one finds flowers and plants with small garden signs that convey the meaning of the flowers which relate to love, happiness or passion. As the flowers and herbs grow, and change over the seasons, the work reveals the impermanence and change of the natural world and human condition.  

The Jewel Tree is where one discovers the sky in reflected in the garden. Hundreds of small golden mirror plates, hang from a tree and interact with the wind. My intention in making this reflective garden is to create a place, a powerful setting transcending time, place and culture. This tree acts as a mirror for of all of us, connecting us to the sky.

 

My project, The Three Wishing Trees can be visited at the Bundesgartenshau, Koblenz, Germany until October 15, 2011