INCEPTION GARDEN

Inspired by the film Inception, the complex experience of dreaming takes the form of a physical journey through plants, pathways and light. The garden’s designers play the role of ‘architects’ in Christopher Nolan’s fantasy, creating a landscape intended to encourage reflection on reality and perception.

At the centre of the garden is a circular path, drawing on the impossible Penrose staircase, a series of steps that makes four 90° turns to fold back upon itself, creating the impression that it cannot be climbed nor descended. There are three levels of dreaming inside this loop.

After passing by a row of cypresses, we find a clearly structured world unfolding before us. The trees all in a line, coupled with the regularly spaced plants, create a calming and orderly rhythm. As if in an elusive fantasy, the dreamer continues on to the end of the path, where steps seemingly leading upwards actually lead nowhere at all. This marks the end of the first dream.

Order then gives way to chaos. Drought-resistant plants grow in loose, vibrant arrangements, forming a thick carpet. A black frame floats above another staircase, like an unopening door. It is in this unmet expectation that the second dream dissolves.

Yet another turn and the garden becomes wild. Tall grass sways, softening the view and blurring the direction. Slowly, the landscape transforms into a tranquil cypress forest, this return to harmony signalling the end of the dream.

A calm pool reflects the sky, trees and plants. Just like the dreamer’s subconscious, water accompanies the entire garden experience, a silent presence shaping the perception of what’s around us. Leaving the garden is a veritable ‘return to reality’. Reconnecting with the natural world allows us to find calmness and clarity in the here and now.