Description:
Since 1962, Reford Gardens — also known as the Jardins de Métis — has been a National Historic Site of Canada, open to the public. Reford’s legacy lives on across twenty acres of lush and scenic land, home to more than 3,000 species of plants from different locations worldwide.
For its 18th edition, the Festival has added six new installations, chosen from 162 submissions received from 30 countries. The call for proposals invited candidates to put the concept of “play” into practice—resulting in interactive pieces that inspire visitors to engage with landscapes. The designs are conceived as antidotes to the creep of nature-deficit disorder, bringing back the magic of the outdoors.
Together with projects retained from past years, this summer’s visitors enjoy some 26 installations that encourage them to pause and reflect—or get moving and play. The following projects are new or revamped for 2017, and are on view until October 8.
La Maison de Jacques — Romy Brosseau, Rosemarie Faille-Faubert and Émilie Gagné-Loranger
Drawing on the children’s tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, La Maison de Jacques — first presented in 2016—is a house made of wood and beans that bloom and flower in the summer months. “We’ve enhanced our installation this year,” says Romy Brosseau, describing the introduction of different kinds of beans that will bloom in red and yellow tones. “The idea is to encourage people to think about the story of Jack in another way.”
The house has nine rooms that twist and turn in seemingly unplanned ways, allowing children to play hide-and-seek in an imaginative setting. For adults, the installation hints at how art and architecture fit into nature. “It’s about the historical gardens and contemporary gardens meeting at the same place in time,” says Brosseau.
Brosseau, Faille-Faubert and Gagné-Loranger are Masters in Architecture graduates from the Université Laval in Quebec City. [1]
References
[1] Moore, Shannon. “The Practice of Play: International Garden Festival, 2017.” Canadian Architect, May 2, 2019. https://www.canadianarchitect.com/the-practice-of-play/.
Additional information
“Architects and Designers Challenged to ‘Re-Think Play’ for International Garden Festival.” CLAD. Accessed May 29, 2021. https://www.cladglobal.com.
“International Garden Festival 2017 – Announcement of the Designers for Its 18th Edition – International Garden Festival / Reford Gardens.” v2com. v2com newswire, January 19, 2017. https://www.v2com-newswire.com.
“International Garden Festival Canada 2017.” The Garden Drum, August 19, 2017. https://gardendrum.com/2017/08/19/international-garden-festival-canada-2017/.
Moore, Shannon. “The Practice of Play.” Canadian Architect, August 2017.
Profil des jardins. Accessed May 29, 2021.
https://www.festivalinternationaldejardins.com/La-maison-de-Jacques/.
Grozdanic, Lidija. “La Maison De Jacques.” Inhabitat Green Design Innovation Architecture Green Building. Accessed May 30, 2021. https://inhabitat.com/five-stunning-gardens-unveiled-for-the-international-garden-festival-in-quebec/la-maison-de-jacques-by-romy-brosseau-rosemarie-faille-faubert-emilie-gagne-loranger/.
Maison Jacques. YouTube. Jardins des Metis, 2016. https://youtu.be/74z-R6HGRIA.
Project Title: La Maison de Jacques
Artists: Romy Brosseau, Rosemarie Faille-Faubert and ÉmilieGagné-Loranger
Year: 2017
Place: Price, QC
Architecture, Art, Collaborative, Completed Projects, Functional, Landscape, Museum, Nature, Outdoor, Park, Play, Private, QC, QUE, Quebec, Québec, Sculpture