Arcadia 2007 (not realized)
Paris, FR (2), FR
Commissioner: City of Paris
The proposal is to build an Arcadian garden in the roundabout at Place D’Italie in the 13th Arrondissement in Paris. The garden, would directly link to the pubic space in front of the mayor’s office via a passerelle or walkway, as well as be accessible to 2-3 other locations around its perimeter. It would be designed in the Arcadian ideal… "as an imaginary idyllic paradise… uncorrupted by civilization".
It would be a garden of abundance, landscaped with waterfalls, rock formations, vines, bushes and trees to buffer the sound, it would offer a place to get-a-way, a respite in the middle of the city a brief vacation from the intensity of urban life to be shared by a diversified public - a ‘gift’ from the city to the community it serves. Illuminated at night, it would appear as a mirage and an image of optimism, an idyllic representation of beauty, pleasure and leisure reminiscent of an uncomplicated time.
”in wilderness is the preservation of the world”.
Thoreau
My approach was to think of this site as having a daily impact on the community. Choosing to recreate the idea of a 18th century garden and bring it into a contemporary world, was a way to offer beauty and the sublime to a larger and diverse public, and mirror a past history with the potential for change. The optimism of an Arcadian garden is an offer of hope and rejuvenation which I felt was an opportunity to join politics and desire.
