REN&SENS

by Franck Serra, master gardener 2021 - Serra Paysage Company  (France)

A gardener from the Périgord’s views on the Mediterranean landscape.

It is a landscape of grandeur, colours, smells, biodiversity, full of emotion but also of great fragility.

This is also the meeting of perspectives, the resilience of the landscape and its ability to give us hope: a landscape without limits. This concept simply combines perspective with perspective.

The perspective of the landscape to be renewed after its destruction, its rebirth...

The natural renewal, a perspective of rebirth which is embodied by the egg, symbol of fecundity, the Aleppo Pines, a plant bomb which by its cones exploding in the fire, will spread its pioneer seeds.

The egg, brought to life in space and in contrast by the fire of vertical and horizontal lines. A mikado game of burnt trunks, intertwined in the space of the pines, where seats for the " explorer " are perched.

A contrasting effect is created on the ground by the tile and terracotta which reminds us of the destruction of heritage by fire.

The garden emphasises the natural regeneration of burnt landscapes...

To respond to the environmental challenges of our society, the creators of this garden believe that as gardeners they have a responsibility to be proactive in protecting the environment. This is why the environmental impact of their actions is considered in the design of the garden.

For the creation of the Ren&Sens Garden, they have chosen to work with short transport distances for all the wooden components of the garden. The chestnut wood used for the walkways comes from their Périgord forest and is processed in their workshops.

Man's work in the proximity of his resource is celebrated with local, sustainable and responsible wood species. The wood burnt and the ashes on the ground came from a major fire that happened in their region during the summer of 2022, recovered from plots of land in the "Forêt de la Double" near their premises. The tile used comes from Ribérac in the Dordogne, a town that suffered an unprecedented hailstorm in the summer of 2022, which was recognised as a natural disaster by the state, as no roof survived the onslaught of nature. The waste tiles were recycled in the heart of the garden, symbolising the rebirth of materials.

The whole plant palette comes from the Mediterranean basin. The local plant resource is celebrated and gives the garden its whole meaning. Plants symbolise the resilience of nature in the face of man's excesses.

The whole issue of the Ren&Sens garden only makes sense if it finds a life after it has been dismantled. As they did with the Human&Sens garden, winner of the Carré des Jardiniers competition. The Ren&Sens garden is intended to be permanently located in a public space that is prepared to accommodate it after the competition.

An ephemeral garden that is brought to life during a key event in the profession and put to the test of time! An educational tool, the Ren&Sens garden is rich in lessons for its generations and for collective awareness!

• The Compagnons du Devoir
• Périgord Bois
• Quincaillerie Angles (hardware) 
• Pigearias timber mill
• Conseil Départemental de la Dordogne
• Piveteau Bois
• Collingwood
• Bontemps Quarry