Woodland-Meadow Parterre
This installation on the grounds of Five Points Arts Center for the Visual Arts in Torrington, Connecticut was begun in 2020. The artist hopes to inspire a dialogue about the apparent chaos of nature and man’s preoccupation with trying to structure and tame the natural world.
The work is inspired by formal parterre gardens that date back to medieval times. The gardens were laid out in carefully designed symmetrical plots and walkways composed of interlocking geometric patterns. Parterre gardens remained an important part of landscape design in Europe and the United States throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
“Woodland - Meadow Parterre” is 160 feet in diameter and is situated in both the meadow and the adjacent woodland. While the design reflects the tradition of the formal garden, there is a twist. The pathways that venture in and out of the woods are mowed and manicured, but in the parterre sections where exotic plants or culinary herbs would normally have been be planted, naturally occurring grasses, shrubs and trees are encouraged to grow. As landscapes are not static, the migration of indigenous and invasive species, and changes that occur over the seasons in the wooded and meadow sections will be observed and documented as an integral part of the artwork.
Once completed, visitors will be encouraged to walk the pathways of the installation and participate in its evolution by making observations and offering suggestions.
https://fivepointsarts.org/five-points-art-center/woodland-meadow-parterre/
Drone shot by Jon White - November 2024
Working Drawing - Woodland - Meadow Parterre 2021
Woodland-Meadow Parterre Working Drawing 2021 - Mixed Media 17" x 11" - $850 framed
Woodland-Meadow Parterre Working Drawing 2021 - Mixed Media 17" x 11" - $850 framed
Woodland-Meadow Parterre Working Drawing 2021 - Mixed Media 17" x 11" - $850 framed
Woodland-Meadow Parterre Working Drawing 2021 - Mixed Media 17" x 11" - $850 framed
Woodland-Meadow Parterre Working Drawing 2021 - Mixed Media 17" x 11" - $850 framed