Shadow Garden, Garden Festival 2015, Bad-Ischl, Austria

Between two main promenades, hidden in the dense tree thicket on two gently ascending paths, the visitor of the 2015 Garden Show in Bad Ishl finds a hidden space that was designed to be a chamber-like retreat worthy of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sissi. She was known for her reclusive tendencies, as she yearned for tranquility and seclusion in her prolific writing.

The shadow chamber is crowned by a gigantic ring-shaped chandelier, which floats three metres above the space. The ground is covered in a dark grey slate grit, which is framed by a dark natural stone border. Polished white stone plates create a stark and magical shadow presence in juxtaposition to the dark slate. The square chamber is separated from the surrounding park by a thick hedge, forming a hard, shadow-casting boundary which contrasts the soft play of light and shadow created by the tall trees, which exist in a constant state of change depending on the season, the sun, wind and cloud cover. In this space, the visitor encounters emptiness. The movable furniture offers opportunities for seating, for following one’s thoughts with the quiet tinkling of the glass crystals, the murmur of the treetops and the wandering of the shadows in the background.