On the weekend I saw one of Australia's leading landscape designers, Paul Bangay speak about The Garden At Stonefields at an Illustrated Talk during the Melbourne Writers' Festival. The question and answer session displayed that he was a fascinating man with a lot of visible ambition and expertise in his field. It was just unfortunate that his field (no pun intended) was something in which I currently have not much interest at all. And it didn't help that I couldn't understand the complicated names for the species of plants and didn't really need to know what type of box hedge would grow successfully in my area.
In fear of sounding down on the whole experience, I want to point out that I love a good garden and appreciate the beauty that can be created with natural materials but I feel it will be an interest that may come later in life. I did, however, draw some positivity and relevance from the talk to consider in my current life.
The first thing that struck me was what he said about the fact that through travel, you get exposed to things that you start to want for yourself. Bangay was talking about this idea in relation to how he travels extensively for his work and therefore never has a full sense of accomplishment within his work as he has seen so much and always feels he wants to do more with his gardens. Opening yourself up to the world leaves you knowing what kind of beauty is possible. I think this extends to any kind of design practice; you never seem to be entirely satisfied because you have seen better while researching and seeing the work of others and always feel you can do better. I'm not sure whether I classify this as a positive or negative.
Another thing that I gained from the talk was the saddened way Paul Bangay spoke of the growing obsession that we in Australia have with perfection. He was referring to the fact that gardens often look unfinished because they are manicured to perfection. There are no vines growing on the houses or the pavers don't have the character that broken or chipped pavers do and there seems to be a compulsive need to 'protect' the house in fears that contact with greenery will destroy all that is man made. I think this fear also resonates to broader life in regards to the relationship between our created world and nature and the growing dichotomy between the two.
Although I may not read them for many years, Paul Bangay is an author of many books including Paul Bangay's Garden Design Handbook, The Boxed Garden and Paul Bangay's Guide to Plants and if you are looking for garden design inspiration, his work is truly beautiful.
That much I can understand.
-B
*Mosaik does not take credit for any of the images used in this article
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