Re-imagining the garden
This entry uses still photographs and quotes from participants who took part in the Mass- Observation Spring Directive in 1998 on 'The Garden and Gardening'. By using the photographs of domestic gardens I have been able to Re/lmagine the gardens of others, and along with key quotes have been able to create a narrative exploring how those with gardens experience and imagine their garden space. Gardens are part of most individuals immediate environments, and through my 'photo essay' I have been able to explore how the garden can be a site in which control over nature can be exercised, along with the (re)creation of memories within the process. However, the essay has also highlighted how the garden can be a site of strain and worry for those who live with them, and also a source of fear to those who cannot imagine living without one. This presentation of 7.18 minutes takes us into the private world of other people's gardens and allows us to see how we can shape the garden and also how in turn the garden can shape ourselves and alter our perceptions of the world outside which can greatly vary and change over time, and according to gender.