A relatively new installation, the Bertrand Lavier Fountain can be found in the garden of the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London.
For all details about the sculpture and artist click here, or view it yourself in Hyde Park until the 4th of October 2015.
Happy Gardening!
This is the last in a series of three posts about Kew Gardens in London. In one day, we visited the temporary Orchid exhibition, the Palm House and a greenhouse dedicated to cacti. All three were memorable and I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Kew. Besides the three exhibition spaces featured on this blog, there are dozens of other glasshouses and specialised areas to see, not to speak of the Treetop Walkway, a viewing platform towering 18 metres above the ground which is accessible for free and offers mesmerizing views of London. Truly there is something for everyone. From the Japanese Gateway, to the Ginkgo, the Azalea and the Woodland Garden, several visits could offer a new experience every time. There are plenty of cafés and also a well-stocked gardening shop.
For more information about the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, visit:
http://www.kew.org
On the same day we visited the Orchid exhibition at Kew Gardens, we also strolled around the Kew Garden Palm House. A lush selection of plants from all over the world awaited us. I must say, the interior of the palm house itself is in need of renovation, as the colour is chipping off the metal frame and in places the glass is heavily stained with patches of moss.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed the super-sized plants, some of which clearly recalled the presence of dinosaurs and prehistoric times.
For more information about the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, visit:
http://www.kew.org
A few months ago, we went to see the Orchids exhibition at Kew Gardens. The dedicated greenhouse was filled with tropical mist, and water sprinklers filled the air with warm water droplets. It was heaven.
For more information about the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, visit:
http://www.kew.org
If you have a chance to visit Spain, I would recommend a trip to the casa Batlló, built by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí in the heart of Barcelona at Passeig de Gràcia, 43.
The modernist building, its contours and colours remind one of the sea.
For those of you who like me are Italian, the interior also recalls the house of the fairy with the turquoise hair (‘fata turchina’) in Luigi Comencini’s Pinocchio.
Below is the Casa Battló’s living room with an undulating glass-tiled front wall, bespoke golden window handles shaped to perfectly fit into a human hand and small wooden ventilation openings:
The ceiling alludes to a vortex in the ocean:
The interior staircase provides a cool retreat from the summer sun:
the skylight channels light in and reflects on the cooling blue and white tiles:
Another room has a sail-shaped skylight, providing aeration and dimmed light:
My favourite part of the house is at the top, where the ceiling takes the shape of a whale skeleton:
What when the house was built was a laundry room, could easily become a contemporary bathroom:
With moorish floor tiles
And shelves built into the wall for bath towels:
The room below could be a living room, with its ribcage ceiling:
A large skylight sits at the top of the interior staircase:
Stairs lead to the rooftop:
where one can step out into the hot sun and also see the various chimney’s of the house:
and admire the dragon-back shaped roof:
For more information, visit www.casabatllo.es/en/visit/
The house is a museum but can also be hired for events.
Related articles:
There is still time to visit the North American Landscape at the British Museum
The fifth landscape installation created in collaboration with Kew Gardens, is open daily until 25th of November 2012 and free for all visitors.
Among the plants on display are the carnivorous pitcher plants:
orange coneflowers:
and echinacea:
Previous installations at the British Museum included,
an Australian Landscape in 2011:
and a South African Landscape in 2010.
How exciting! There is an urban gardening exhibition in Manchester – it starts in a few days and will be open until September. The event description mentions “making a difference” to the “neglected back alley or humble balcony”…. that sounds just like what I’m trying to do at the moment!!
Hm, not sure whether I’ll go from London to Manchester to see the exhibition, but if YOU go, let me know and perhaps even share your pictures!
Anyway, here’s the link to their webpage with all the info: Urbis events, Manchester.
Red Darter 