Chaumont

Mosaiculture! The concept itself is scary.

What the term first brings to mind is floral clocks, lawn logos, and the recent Jeff Koons monstrosity, "Puppy" (a 43-foot steel structure supporting 70,000 flowering plants that has appeared most recently at the Rockefeller Center and the Bilbao Guggenheim). Did the giant floral puppy signal the demise or renaissance of mosaiculture as a serious art form?

From the beginning, The International Festival of Gardens in Chaumont-sur-Loire, France, from June 2 to October 21, 2001, has been about elevating the art of landscape and garden design and providing a working laboratory where young designers can realize their ideas. It is about experimentation and the breaking down of traditional gardening walls.

Mosaiculture seemed to be about borders and boundaries--coloring within the lines. Yet in the end I decided the masterminds behind the festival were fearless in selecting this theme to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Past successes made them confident of the quality and originality the designers would show in addressing it.

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