Layers

Inspired by the anatomy of plants the curvaceous walls are reminiscent of scattered flowered petals or the fleshy storage scales of an onion bulb that erupts into life when conditions are right. By guiding visitors through the garden, forcing them close up to the sculptural walls and offering them controlled views of productive planting it emphasises man’s irrevocably entwined reliance on plants. Water is essential and sits at the heart of the garden where shade and shelter are provided by trees and the surrounding walls. But this is a layered story with a sub plot: the onion scale walls appear to flow down the slope, acknowledging the presence of Mount Etna above and the larval flows which over the millennia have formed fertile soils allowing crops to flourish. Edible plants and fruits sit in this ornamental garden blurring the lines between formal productive agricultural land and naturalistic landscapes.