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2018 edition
Gardens of Thought

24 April - 04 November 2018

Once again, the International Garden Festival of Chaumont-sur-Loire has a whole host of surprising, brand new experiences in store on the concept of thought, the theme of this 27th edition, whose jury was chaired by the writer Jean Echenoz.

These gardens have all been designed by an incredible variety of highly inventive teams, whether referring to the worlds of such famous writers as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Octave Mirbeau, Marcel Proust or George Luis Borges, American Indian legends or the Sufi tale of the Conference of the Birds, or physically evoking the paths travelled by our thoughts.

Indeed, the sheer diversity of occupations encompassed by the teams behind these gardens is worth highlighting: this year, landscapers, gardeners, architects and urban planners have worked alongside set designers, directors, graphic designers and even an anthropologist, a geographer, a cabinetmaker and plumassier – all immensely talented and inspired. Their varied origins are also a guarantee for an impressive outpouring of ideas: they hark from Russia, United States, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Canada and, of course, France.

Among the treasures this edition will be unveiling are green architectures, real thought “bubbles”, a radically contemporary International Klein Blue Japanese meditation garden, a spectacular red anamorphosis, a sculptural book of sand, an unprecedented spiral architecture, a contemporary cloister decked out with sublime “feather flowers” and delicate kokedama representing your neurons ... In a nutshell, a spellbinding combination of ideas, inventions and plant-inspired poetry.

Alongside these gardens, the choice pickings of the competition, prestigious guests will also be attending Chaumont-sur-Loire this year, including prominent landscape artist Bernard Lassus, the famous American glass sculptor Dale Chilhuly and the remarkable team from OULIPO (which stands for Workshop of Potential Literature), who have designed an invigorating Jardin des voyelles (Garden of vowels).

On the subject of botanic excellence, the “garden fanatics” Pascal Garbe and Didier Willery will be celebrating the pansy (Viola) in all its states – a play on the French word “pensée”, which means both “thought” and “pansy”. As for the “free thinkers” of Plants and Cultures, they will be beckoning us into their luxuriant plant library where they will share with you their “claim to change the world with their flowers”.

The 2018 Festival therefore promises to be bursting with colour and ideas – and quite rightly too with the theme being “gardens of thought”!

COMPOSITION OF THE 2018 JURY

Jean Echenoz is a French novelist and writer and winner of the Prix Médicis in 1983 for Cherokee and the Prix Goncourt, in 1999, for Je m’en vais. Born in Orange in 1947, Jean Echenoz spent his youth in the Aveyron and Basses-Alpes, studied sociology at university in Aix-en-Provence and then moved [...]

published at 16/04/2018
Thumbnail Map
 

THE DEATH OF ALBINE

01 

Ceci n'est pas un jardin

02 

Bulles de pensées

03 

Le livre de sable

04 

Temple à la nature

04BIS 

Le jardin des supplices

05 

La possibilité d'une île

06 

Le jardin du présent intensément

07 

Dans les bois

08 

Le dédale de la pensée

09 

Le filet de pensées

10 

Le jardin des voyelles

11 

Un promenoir infini

12 

Le chemin de Mélété

13 

Hortus Allegoricus

14 

Attrape-rêve

15 

Réflexion faite

16 

Entrez dans la pensine

17 

Les Sept Vallées

18 

Dans ma bulle

19 

Pensées jardinières

19BIS 

(R)évolution

21 

Le jardin de Proust : le cours d'un dessein

22 

Libres

22BIS 

Avantgarden

23 

Le temple de nos pensées

24 

Le voyage intérieur

25 

Sculpture de verre

PERMANENT GARDENS - PRÉS DU GOUALOUP

26 

Le jardin des hypothèses

Permanent Gardens - International Garden Festival

20 

La petite serre

Permanent Gardens - Farmyard

M 

Le potager lumineux

M 

The Domain's vegetable garden

N 

The children’s garden

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Aquired by the Centre-Val de Loire Region in 2007, The Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire has become an unmissable site within the spheres of art and gardens. The triple identity of the Domaine : Heritage, art and gardens make for a unique visit within the circuit of the Loire Valley castles

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