"MOSAIC GARDEN"
LOCATION
Jinzhou World Landscape Art Exposition is a large-scale international exhibition that shows innovative landscape architecture around the world.
The site of the garden is located in a core place of the Longqiwan Area of Jinzhou City. In the future, the exposition park will be permanently preserved as a central park for the city with an extension of 176 hectares.
The "Mosaic Garden" is located in a central area of the park dedicated to innovative international contemporary landscape architecture: a selection of gardens around the world that will represent the art of gardening in the five continents.
CONCEPT
"Mosaic Garden" is a three-dimensional crackled landscape inspired by the old tradition of the mosaic technique. Mosaic is an old art that has been strongly developed along the history of Europe since the Hellenistic period marking our cultural heritage.
In Mediterranean countries, the mosaic art has been used during Roman times, the medieval era, the Arab period, the Renaissance and it is still used nowadays. Buildings and gardens have been marked by the technique of the mosaic, which has been used on floors, walls and ceilings in houses and churches. One of the most internationally famous examples of the European modern gardens is the Park Guell, which was designed by Antoni Gaudi following the old tradition of mosaic art by using ceramic tiles in broken pieces to have more flexibility in shaping sculptural gardens.
"Mosaic Garden", is a contemporary garden that on one hand is linked to the cultural tradition of the European Garden based on mosaic art and, on the other hand, it seeks to become an example of sustainable garden by reusing and recycling materials such as old ceramic tiles in an artistic way.
MATERIALIZATION
The whole circular surface of the "Mosaic Garden" is divided into smaller irregular fragments of different colours (like tesserae in a mosaic) that create a vibrant and attractive three-dimensional landscape inviting the visitors to experience it.
The colourful surfaces are created by using mainly two elements: different types of flowers combined in monochromatic flower beds and broken recycled ceramic tiles that cover pavements and benches along the circulation paths.
Culture, innovation, art and sustainability are interlinked concepts in the proposal “the Mosaic Garden", which is inspired by a rich tradition from the past and looks, at the same time, for new solutions for a sustainable future.
CERAMIC MUSEUM
The Ceramic Museum will be located in a core place of the Jinzhou World Landscape Art Exposition of 2013 that will become a Central Park for the city after the exhibition is finished integrating the museum in it.
The exhibition of the "Ceramic Museum" during the Jinzhou World Landscape Art Exposition will explain the art and history of the ceramic by showing photos, drawings and pieces of ceramic art. Once the exhibition is finished the building will be transformed into a small Museum of Porcelain that will become a cultural attraction to activate the public use of the Park.
LINK BETWEEN EUROPEAN AND CHINESE CULTURE
The Museum is integrated in the three-dimensional crackled landscape that on one hand is inspired by the old tradition of the mosaic technique used in Europe from ancient times and on the other hand by the delicate Longquao porcelain developed in the region along 1800 years of history.
The project works as a cultural link between two cultures representing the European landscape art and architecture during the Exposition in 2013 and, at the same time, the rich history of the place in the future museum after the exposition.
INTERIOR
The interior of the Ceramic Museum consists of a continuous and irregular space that is inspired by the traditional porcelain developed in Longquan County. Floor, walls and ceiling are fragmented following a pattern of irregular polygons that remind us the characteristic “ice cracks" lines of the Longquan porcelain (Longquanyao). The clear colors of the walls and their semi-glossy finishing contrast with the small windows and skylights opened in the walls and ceiling that allow the natural light to be filtered inside the museum. Lights, shadows and reflections characterize the space with a peculiar atmospheric effect that change dramatically along the day depending of the outer atmospheric conditions. The objects are exhibited in glazed showcases integrated in the cracked composition of the space becoming virtual columns that articulate the circulation of the visitors inside the exhibition space.
MATERIALIZATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
Museum and garden seeks to become an example of sustainable project by reusing and recycling materials such as old ceramic tiles in an artistic way. The materialization of the project experiments with the expressive use of broken pieces of recycled ceramic tiles collected in the area. This strategy characterizes the iconic image of the building by linking the museum's identity to the local culture and sustainability principles.
Culture, innovation, art and sustainability are interlinked concepts in the Ceramic Museum, which is inspired by a rich tradition from the past looking, at the same time, for new solutions for a sustainable future.
