Sunlight breaking through the trees in the New Forest
Hampshire nursery Hortus Loci are growing for Chelsea Flower Show 2018’s The VTB Capital Garden – ‘Spirit of Cornwall’ – a unique creative collaboration not usually seen in the industry, bringing together garden designers, architects, a composer, musicians and a sculptor.
Garden design is by multi award-winning garden designers Stuart Charles Towner & Bethany Williams, winners of Gold & Best in Show RHS Hampton 2015, in collaboration with a multi-award winning creative team of architects Studio Evans Lane, Constella OperaBallet & sculptor Sheila Vollmer.
Sited on Chelsea’s Main Avenue ‘Spirit of Cornwall’ is a multi-sensory experience: inspired by the work of renowned British sculptor Barbara Hepworth; and music composed by Leo Geyer, Artistic Director Constella OperaBallet, specially commissioned by the Hepworth Estate and Tate St Ives to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hepworth’s garden.
Conceived as a garden for a sculptor and a composer, ‘Spirit of Cornwall’ is contemporary in style, the garden features a palette of subtropical and temperate plants, illustrating the unique microclimates found throughout Cornwall. Concrete and steel form the only hard landscaping elements in the garden.
The metalwork that runs throughout the garden is a physical manifestation of the music, taken from the sound wave pattern, with its peak expressed by the garden pavilion, a space for composing and performing designed by award- winning architectural practice, Studio Evans Lane.
Water features echo the sea views from Hepworth’s garden. The continuous circulation of water reinforces the musical motif. Sculptures by International sculptor Sheila Vollmer nestle amongst the planting, drawing inspiration from the rhythms of the garden design, the music and her own practice style; sources such as Russian Constructivism.
‘Live Performances’
On press day, the garden will host live performances by award-winning Constella OperaBallet, showcasing specifically commissioned music by Leo Geyer and dance by Sarah Louise-Kiristiansen. Artists Include; Rachel Maby (mezzo-soprano), Philippa Mo (violin), Joshua Hayward (viola), Michael Newman (cello) and Olivia Jageurs (harp), Leo Geyer (conductor), Russian Dancer (TBC), Sebastian Freeburn (costume).
