Flora nebulae seeks to bring to light the importance and innate beauty of plants through the winter months. Plants are the natural bridge between seasons - between autumn and spring - between freeze and thaw. A material often forgotten during the cold winter months, plants - in this case Cornus sericea and Ilex verticillata - offer a coloured reminder of past days of leaf and bloom as well as a hint towards the warmth and rejuvenation of spring. These native shrubs offer clouds of red berries and red twigs and bring vibrancy to the winter grey.
Plants are a regulator of climate as well. We have extended the simple grid of the lifeguard station, celebrating rather than masking its materiality, in a manner that enhances the colorful nebulae of berries and twigs through the regulation of climate, the drifting of snow, and the creation of space for varied inspection of the plant material. The cloud of the shrubs stands in stark contrast to the steel grid within which is sits.
This proposal was created for Winter Stations, the international design and art competition calling to reimagine the lifeguard stations along Toronto's east end beaches for the winter months.
