Thursday 23 September 2010 2.30pm
Garden design has always found fertile inspiration in other disciplines and forms of art throughout cultures and centuries. Since Renaissance times, architecture and painting have taken a lion's share in moulding the vision of gardens in a modern sense, to offer worldly joys and focus on beauty and fun, so that man's mind, spirit and body were catered for. Sculpture became a constant companion, enriching gardens with the presence of statuary and sculptural objects, and creating an exciting - -synergy between the two arts. Music, its"rhythms-and climaxes, adagio, allegro, fortissimo, have influenced the structure of gardens, the procession through space often evoking the movements of a symphony. The minor arts, too, such as tapestry and pottery, have had a place, providing images and colouring that inspired the garden makers.
The lecture's aim is to enthuse as well as inform and lead to a dynamic appreciation of art. Space, composition, concept and ornamentation, aesthetic and functional elements and principles shared among the arts, and fundamental to garden design, will be illustrated with beautiful images for a renewed enjoyment of the artistic process involved in a garden's making.
Dr Laura de Beden (biography): was born in Rome and educated in continental Europe, taking her Doctorate in Humanities and Foreign Languages and Literature at Universita' Bocconi. Pursuing a long held interest in plants and garden design she enrolled at the University of Central England to study Landscape Architecture and after graduation took Professional Practice exams in 1994 to become a fully qualified landscape architect.
Laura de Beden
She runs a landscape practice, lectures internationally, and writes on landscape issues. Articles have been published in Abitare , Gardenia, Spaziocasa, The Garden History Society Journal (Special issue 2000), and Garden Design (2004). Her home and office are in Kew, West London, a stone's throw from the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Speaker (if appropriate):
Dr Laura de Beden DipLA MLI
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