I-Park is working to launch an international design competition for a variety of gardens to be installed out on the property. Garden designers as well as visual artists will be invited to propose unusual garden concepts, with winning entrants provided space for temporary installations. Garden designers who effectively bring their concepts to life with their temporary installations may then be offered commissions to further develop their ideas into permanent gardens in Eightmile Gardens, the future public garden park, or in Thanatopolis, the future memorial park. Designers who've succeeded in creating especially intimate spaces conducive to the creative process may be invited to propose enhanced versions to be installed in proximity to artists' studios (for the private use of artists in residence).
A special garden type planned for I-Park is the Improbable Garden. This is an unconventional garden with no obvious purpose. It is a pure work of art, but with a distinguishing characteristic: it has the appearance of a naturally occurring micro-environment, even though it is very much the product of an artist's imagination. It is carefully integrated into the natural landscape and is discovered (hopefully, it's a surprise) when one is out exploring the land. Gardens that qualify for Improbable Gardens status will be exceptionally fanciful and intriguing, perhaps even other-worldly, in their visual/emotional impact.
There are a variety of additional garden types planned for I-Park. Cultivation gardens will be planted to produce fruits and vegetables for residents' use as well as to create an income stream for the project. Small individual plots will be offered on a long-term lease basis for individuals looking to create personalized gardens and stake a small claim in I-Park's future, while affording a peaceful refuge from the city or suburbs. This is similar to the Kolonihaven or allotments concept long established in European cities.
Gardens are planned for the common areas, at the entrances and along labyrinth trails. There will also be provision for artists to create 3-D animation and virtual reality gardens, allowing I-Park to extend its presence beyond its physical constraints.
Rather than the highly stylized and groomed presentations typical of established garden parks, I-Park's gardens will tend to be wilder, more naturalistic, though they will also incorporate various manmade elements. They will also deftly address the issue of human comfort so that the gardens can be enjoyed under as many atmospheric conditions and during as many seasons and times of day as possible.
For a virtual tour of Mie's Trail, the first formal expression of the Gardens at
I-Park vision, click here.
