The Secret World is a landscape-based playground consisting of earthworks, colourful tunnels, playful plants, and most importantly - your imagination!
The earth is lifted and manipulated to create a multi-dimensional canvas for play. Approach from the east or west begins with wooden walls, punctured by round entrances into a network of colourful tunnels. Some tunnels lead to lookouts; others crisscross and lead into a central meadow; all paths are unknown until explored.
At-grade access along the north or south encourages running: through the meadow, onto mounds, and into tunnels. Sensory plantings are selected for fragrance, texture, long colourful blooms, or potential for hiding. Large swatches of plantings frame tunnel openings, meanwhile below the groundplane, curtains of brightly coloured artificial root-like filaments fill the insides of the tunnels to visually and conceptually connect aboveground to the secret world below.
Presentation Panel
Presentation Panel
Presentation Panel
Axonometric
Crawl, climb, and jump. Invent new games to play with friends. Smell the flowers, touch the grass, and gather the seeds. The beauty of this garden is that it becomes whatever the user makes of it.
Step into The Secret World and discover the exploratory and sensory wonders that landscape has to offer.
Section through a play tunnel
Year: 2016
Location: Grand-Métis, QC, Canada
Media: Installation (proposal, shortlist)
Collaborators: Jasmeen Bains and Tyler Bradt (Formerly Studio for Landscape Culture), Erika Richmond
