Chelsea flower Show 2016 - Forever Freefolk cont'd 4

The trials of a Chelsea show garden continue....

Flints and bricks go so well together in
walls, sometimes even with stone.
There is something welcoming about a
flint and brick wall that is timeless.
Flints as a wall building material have
been used for centuries as they make
good filling material adding strength
to the wall when held in place
by brick or stone.
Flints used to be traded in the same way as gold and were worth far more.





How do we use the idea of brick
and flint walls in a modern way
to go with the conceptual idea.
Gabions are used for effect and as structural walls.

Sourcing the correct flint and gravel has given me sleepless nights. Not many people can say the flints are giving me nightmares.....

The wire casements give the rigidity and form, with the fill of brick and flint making the structure stable. The beauty of the different surfaces of the flint is visible through the wire, without the need for mortar.

The dried riverbed floor is a mixture of different sizes of flint gravel. Through this will be colourful plants which thrive in these stony conditions.

Erigeron Quakeress a wonderful summer flowering perennial to 45cm when in flower.

Centaurea simplicicaulis makes tight mounds of grey foliage with these lovely pink cornflowers.

Nigella or 'Love in the Mist' will self seed giving a carpet of blue. Then its seed-heads look good for the rest of the season.

Achillea 'Gloria Jean' a good strong pink form that thrives in gravel areas.

All of the above plants and their close relatives make excellent gravel bed plantings.




Facebook
Twitter

Chelsea 2016 - Forever Freefolk cont'd 3

Why have we used the pattern we have, for the feature sculpture within the garden?
Who could not marvel at the beauty and intricacy of the above structure.
What is it?
This is a Coccosphere, or in simple terms a group of phytoplanktonic creatures from the Jurassic period, individually known as Coccolithophores.
Chalk is an amazing sedimentary layer laid down when our seas where at 20 degrees centigrade.
I would have loved to have been around then to scuba dive in such amazing waters with so much incredible life.
Using this wonderful matrix we designed both our sculpture and the coccolith stepping stones.

A coccolith is the skeletal remains of the creature, which is what we see today under the microscope within chalk.

The vision was to make the sculpture looks as though it is floating above the source of the crystal clear waters of the chalk stream.
Models help with the ideas giving a 3 D aspect, to iron out any flaws. With the help of our in house architect we were able to make an initial model. From this not only do we see how the sculpture will sit within the garden but also where we need contouring.

Going on from that, is the realisation of how to forge this in Aluminium and also how to make the whole thing work.

Attention to the details is the way to make all of these plans come into realisation. By having  a great partnership with the team, who can think about how the dream can become reality.
Sketches always help to consolidate the ideas; but although they give a certain perspective you still need to have working models.


This is where modern computerisation comes into its fore.
The foresight is brought into reality, showing the floating Coccosphere with the elevated path going through.
The designers vision is visible giving everyone a great perspective of the idea.



The process from here on is to have the model in physical pieces at a 5th size to make sure the joints work and the look are exactly as required.
It is from this stage that foundry casts will be made. Once made there is the possibility of changing colour. This can be an endless task as it an be spray painted to give any effect required. Definite decisions have to be taken.
Who knows what the finished Sculpture colour and texture will be?
That is for you to wait and find out....

Facebook
Twitter