Jardins de Métis Garden Festival Entry: My_SECRET[E].Garden

Francis Bitonti of FADstudio and Andrew Zientek of Terrain Studios have shared with us their entry to the 12th edition of the Jardins de Métis International Garden Festival. The concept, combining landscape design with augmented reality technology, is titled My_SECRET[E].Garden.

The proposal uses augmented reality and other location based services to explore the notion of a secret garden. In the project, visitors, using their own smart-phones or those provided (and tethered), can view and create another dimension of the garden.

The interface allows visitors to choose a new species of plant, attach a secret message and then “plant” it in the garden to be viewable by successive visitors. The garden grows, receiving and containing knowledge that is hidden from plain view.

This virtual space laid over the physical landscape, tied to specific place through the technology of augmented reality. This digital evolution then spills back onto the physical as real plants are added, replacing digital versions.

The garden starts with contained secrets, then writes them for others and finally translates them into material. The garden starts as s ubdued canvas and explodes with color.