The 26th edition of the International Garden Festival in Grand-Métis, Québec and under the theme and title of Borders, is now open to the public.
This year, artistic director Ève De Garie-Lamanque, invited designers to rethink the notion of borders in today’s post-colonial context and to transpose these reflections into a garden environment that “blurs disciplines, renegotiates preconceived ideas about garden/landscape, and actively dialogues with visitors.”
Out of the 180 projects from 27 countries submitted to the international call for proposals, four were selected. These include BACK / GROUND by Patrick Bérubé from Québec; Peek-a-Boo by Hermine Demaël and Stephen Zimmerer from Québec and the United States; Scars of Conflict by Michael Hyttel Thorø from Denmark; and You Shall (Not) Pass by Simon Barrette from Québec.
This year’s edition, which will run until October 5, 2025, showcases 28 contemporary gardens.
The notions of boundary and border, aim to raise issues connected with geography and geopolitics. They designate markers or lines, delineate one area and distinguish it from another. They also occupy an important place in the modern and Western comprehension of the world: modern borders. These modern borders, known as Westphalian, aim to map out spaces and nation-states, articulate them, and relate them to one another.
A border may be understood as a “spatial object in mutation.” It partitions a whole, or determines a “segment of reality,” to grant it intrinsic value, while also disrupting continuity and “separate” digital from analogue.
The visual identity for the 26th edition of the International Garden Festival was designed by bureau60a, an independent design firm. This year’s theme, Borders, also proved to be particularly rich for Simon Guibord from Gatineau and Rachel Monnier from Percé, who drew inspiration from cartographic sciences, and adopted a biocentric approach.
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According to Hermine Demaël and Stephen Zimmerer, the artists behind Peek-a-Boo, “A border separates inside from outside, interior from exterior, self from other. When realized, that crudely drawn border occupies a thickened edge. What does it mean to spend time at the edge, to invest this liminal space? Architecture is defined through the articulation of walls and enclosures. Peek-a-Boo flips one such border on its side to interrogate the edge between earth and sky, articulated as a colorful field of powder-coated steel grates. Four windows become trap doors which invite play, movement, and interaction. Between open and closed states, they suggest thirteen spatial configurations – a garden constantly in motion.”
