The Scottish artist Ian Hamilton Finlay, who died in 2006, once famously stated that “Certain gardens are described as retreats when they are really attacks.” What did Finlay mean? The garden, in its long history, has fulfilled many roles: a display of power, wealth and influence; a delineation of territory; a botanical storehouse; a medicinal repository; a place of relaxation. The list is seemingly endless. Finlay’s own garden, named Little Sparta because it was pitted in opposition to Edinburgh, Athens of North, was many things but might be best described as a gesamkunstwerk – an all-encompassing vision where ideas, philosophies, histories and complex ironies coalesced, carved out of the barren, windswept Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh.
Jardins Publics: The history and role of gardens in life, art and Edinburgh
Edinburgh International Festival invited the curator Katrina Brown to conceive of a series of events which celebrate and draw attention to the vital role gardens can play in our in our everyday lives, as well as acknowledging their complex histories. The result is an exhibition, Jardins Publics, which draws inspiration form a number of things, including the work of Patrick Geddes, who of course li
3 Aug 2007
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