Garden /Art/ Garden Talks Series

From modern Japanese gardens to experimental land art, wilderness and utopia to environmental hopes and anxieties, this autumn the Garden Museum’s new talks series explores ideas of what gardens and place can mean as artistic practice in an era of climate change.

Across five evenings chaired and curated by landscape historian and critic Tim Richardson, hear from a range of practitioners, curators and academics discussing their own work and reflecting on the broader scene.

A drink is included in the price of the ticket so stick around afterwards to continue the discussion.

Tue 15 Sep, 6:30pm–7:30pm
What on Earth is Land Art?
Environmental artist Chris Drury — whose large-scale works have sparked international debate about fossil fuels and dying forests — describes his practice and why he resists the ‘Land Artist’ label.

Tue 20 Oct, 6:30pm–7:30pm
Art and Climate Change
What role does the garden play in the way artists and gardeners re-present the natural world and how can gardens help us find more profound ways of expressing contemporary anxieties — and hopes. Speakers include sculptor Lotte Scott, artist-scientist Miranda Whall and photographer and sculptor Mike Perry.

Tue 3 Nov, 6:30pm–7:30pm
Plants, Places, Growth, Decay
This session brings together artists and collectives who each have a profound relationship with place and environment. Joining the discussion are the ambitious land artist Alex Hartley, sculptor Tania Kovats, the tech-meets-natural world collective Troika and Swedish art practice and experimental farm Kultivator.

Tue 17 Nov, 6:30pm–7:30pm
The Japanese Garden as a work of art — the modern era
Is Japan still a place where gardens are understood as deeply spiritual, philosophical and aesthetic practice — far more than horticulture? British landscape designer Dan Pearson and the award-winning London-based Japanese designer Haruko Seki discuss.

1 Dec, 6:30pm–8pm
Plants & Portraits
Spanning seven decades and moving between Europe and Asia, this programme of short films presented by Dr Becca Voelcker explores connections between human life, plants and memory.