V&A Unveils Powerful New Exhibition Showcasing the Value of Gardens.

Huey Ennis

Today V&A Dundee unveiled a new exhibition to the public; Garden Futures: Designing with Nature. The exhibition has been in the works for around a year and a half and spotlights the history of modern garden design and how our outdoor spaces can shape a greener future.

Image: Huey Ennis

It features around 340 objects on display with four different aspects of garden design to explore, including its history, future, importance in nature and importance in community. The exhibition itself was inherited by the Vitra Design Museum and Wüstenrot Foundation in Germany, as well as the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

2D Graphic Designer, Pia Marktl, who designed some of the smaller graphics dotted around the exhibit, discussed her inspiration as an artist from growing up in rural Austria. These graphics and the overall layout of the exhibition lead to a comforting and calm walk around the exhibition, especially when paired with the Smartify audio tour available. The audio tour allows visitors to hear personal stories from those who donated historical pieces and selected artists; providing extra context at no extra cost.

Image: Huey Ennis

When speaking to some of the exhibition goers, I was surprised that the visitors were just as worldly as the displays themselves.

One woman visiting from Austria (not related to Marktl, to be clear) came as more of a coincidence, hearing the exhibition was on during her visit and was very fascinated by every aspect of the exhibit as a hobby gardener for over 50 years herself. Another couple also coming through Dundee were equally as fascinated as gardeners, though a little disappointed that there were no live plants shown but still complimenting everything regardless. One cited the Meadow display as their favourite piece of the exhibition, and I have to agree.

Meadow is a display by artist Alexandra Kehayoglou, a hand-tufted giant rug that resembles the wildflower boom that occurs on the Greek Island of Milos. This is one of the many interactive displays in the exhibit, one which invites you to take off your shoes and walk across it. Another video game display encourages you to plant a garden, other items have you recreate bird calls.

The exhibition was bold and innovative, especially the section which noted gardening as an act of rebellion and perseverance. At a time where many are dying under cruel regimes, the simple offer of allowing visitors to sit down and read books was touching and bold. Books on offer included, A Civilian Occupation, Palestinian Walks and Hollow Land: Israel’s Architecture of Occupation.

Image: Huey Ennis

The exhibition and complementary reading offered emphasised that Palestinians are not just victims of a genocide, but a people with a land and a need to survive like anyone else, and who will grow regardless of those trying to uproot them. It was an important metaphor and I was glad to see it included.

Overall, this exhibit is a needed reminder of the importance and power of gardens; not only in the past or presence but the necessary future.

I was happy to see this reflected in the V&A’s shop, selling plant care books, seeds and many other tools to cultivate a garden. If you enjoy gardening, are considering getting into it, or are just interested in nature or plants, I couldn’t recommend this exhibit enough.

(Find further information and prices here).