Coloured ribbon development

I am advised that the RHS are likely to require construction drawings and information on the design, so begin by working on the 'Elephant in the Room' - the ribbon of colour! Initially I think about how it might be made using a Bradstone product, but after meeting with Bradstone product developers decide it may be better produced using lighter weight materials, to give a greater sense of energy and vitality. I then start to think about how to produce to ribbon in a light and gravity defying way!

I consider leaves, similar to Andy Goldsworthys' fantastic creations but am worried about their frailty and durability over a 6 day show.

I consider paper made from plants used in the garden and come up with this paper chain idea, but again am not sure how it will withstand the weather.

I consider withies or twigs similar to the fantastic work recently produced by Tom Hare. I consider the Fresh garden brief and decide to push the idea further. Whilst walking through the woods near my home I am inspired by the life in find all around me - the ferns reaching for the light, leaves quivering, wood pigeons flapping up through the trees, Red Kites circling, squirrels dashing, deer leaping. Their movement and energy appears to be upwards in search of light, space and safety. This inspires a simple wing/ leaf shape that reaches upwards, changing its hue and form as it travels.

I now have to work out what materials it is to be constructed from and, after a lot a agonising, decide to use man made materials to contrast more strongly with the naturals appearance of the woodland setting. I investigate a steel structure with Perspex 'leaves'   

These shapes then evolve into a colourful swirl that reaches upwards from the woodland floor towards the canopy, changing hue and scale as it travels. To me this is the spirit of energy and vitality in the woodland setting.

Application Deadline

I return from the Malvern Show and start to make larger models that help me to work out the organisation of space with in the 6 x 6m garden. The garden features a large ribbon of colour, inspired by the movement of kites, but what it is to be made from is still a mystery and will be worked out over the next month. I decide on a woodland setting for the garden, as the greens and browns will contrast with the vibrant swirl of colour. I also envisage the planting taking on some of the colours of the swirl at its base. The drawing below is submitted by the deadline of 4th October to the RHS along with many other details including a design plan and indicative planting schedule.

Models

As I am currently in Malvern overseeing the build of my second show garden this year, progress on the Chelsea design is slow and my focus distracted. However I manage to rough together a model using a sketch book cover, wire and coloured pencils to illustrate the concept of the gardens design to my sponsor, Bradstone. This concept, based on the joyous movement of kites, is happily accepted and I feel a great sence of relief!



Now to turn it into a design fit for an RHS Chelsea application, with just a week and a half before the deadline.......oh, and another show garden to finish, show to attend and break up.....no pressure then!!!!!





Chris visits me twice at the show ground. Once to talk through the Malvern Autumn Show Garden, based on the concept of 'Seed Distribution' as well as discuss the Chelsea concept progess. The second time, to listen to feed back about the Autumn show garden from Bob Sweet, for which I recieved a very satisfying RHS Silver Gilt (see www.carolineebutler.co.uk for details).

Brief development

During our meeting Chris Beardshaw (my mentor for the year) advises me to pull out the elements that reflect the key words of the brief. In these drawings you can see how I have chosen lines, shapes and colours as well as sculptural ideas that I feel reflect energy, vitality etc. Out of all of the extracts I feel that the lines,  movement and colours of the kite drawings most strongly capture the words of the brief.

The Design Brief

Energy
Vitality
Flair
Panache
Vibrancy
Zest                                                                                                                                 

These are the words that my sponsor 'Bradstone' have given as my design brief. I am to incorporate 'Panache', an 80% recycled Bradstone product into the design and am to refer to the RHS web site for the exciting new Fresh Garden catagory. I discover that this requires a design response that is 'different, fresh, ground breaking, unusual, green' - amongst other words. It is recommended that I work to a 6 x 6m size, with boundaries on two sides, with viewing on two sides.

I begin by making some quick sketches of what these words mean to me personally, as personal experience always seems a good place to start; flying kites with the children - swirling kite tails, flashes of bright colours; going to a fair - spinning, roller coasters, lights, noise; fireworks night - explosions, awe, vibrant splashes of colour; ice skating and energetic dancing in colourful costumes,

Walking the dog on a windy day, throwing her ball, birds flying, grasses swaying, leaves wirling round.

All these feel like positive, happy experiences that reflect the words of the brief.