“In the Garden” explores the garden as an ‘other space’, a place where you go to nurture & be nurtured. Exhibited at the Royal College of Art Grad Show 2024 as part of the Photography MA program, this display incorporated elements of photographic prints, collage, & sculpture. The combination of the black & white imagery, paper mache masks akin to flowers, statuesque sculptures of Pan (God of the wild) & a goddess (mother earth), & collaged flower sculptures created an immersive installation that beckoned the audience to come play in the garden. Evoking memories of childhood & youth, allowing viewers to reminisce on moments from another time.
In the garden we put our hands to the earth, we watch & feel as plants grow & prosper, bud & blossom. In the garden we find peace of mind, a sense of calm, a quietness, we feel rooted. In the garden we are reminded to slow down, to breathe, to meditate. The garden nurtures peace & serenity. In the garden our imagination grows wild. In the garden we release our inner child as we remember to play & to frolic. In the garden we remember the blissful freedom of childhood innocence. The garden nurtures us with whispered secrets through the rustling of its leaves in the wind. The garden is our teacher. Our worries melt away as we collapse in the grass reaching out with arms and legs, becoming rooted & grounded. As we allow the garden to take over we blossom into flowers. In the garden we become the garden.
In the garden we put our hands to the earth, we watch & feel as plants grow & prosper, bud & blossom. In the garden we find peace of mind, a sense of calm, a quietness, we feel rooted. In the garden we are reminded to slow down, to breathe, to meditate. The garden nurtures peace & serenity. In the garden our imagination grows wild. In the garden we release our inner child as we remember to play & to frolic. In the garden we remember the blissful freedom of childhood innocence. The garden nurtures us with whispered secrets through the rustling of its leaves in the wind. The garden is our teacher. Our worries melt away as we collapse in the grass reaching out with arms and legs, becoming rooted & grounded. As we allow the garden to take over we blossom into flowers. In the garden we become the garden.
© 2024 Finan Malcolm