Le jardin du présent intensément
Abstract
The Garden of the Intensely Present is an original and temporary work created as part of the 27th International Garden Festival of Chaumont-sur-Loire, which took place from May to October 2018. This article tells the story of the genesis and creation of this garden whose creators have ties with Japan through their professions and shared interests. The literary form of the article is inspired by that of the short story In the Thicket by the Japanese author Akutagawa Ryūnosuke in which several protagonists tell the same story, each from their own point of view. In this way, an accident that could have been described objectively becomes the nexus of different interpretations. Similarly, in Chaumont, each of the four creators of the garden tells how he or she followed and understood its development and creation. These different voices produce a kaleidoscopic perspective, a way of grasping the links between Japan and France in relation to gardens and architecture. At the end of the article, Françoise Ged, director of the Observatory of Contemporary Chinese Architecture at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine and a connoisseur of Japan and China, provides her perspective as a visitor and an "objective" witness of the result.
Keywords
