Plan séquence
This project resulted from the collaboration of a cross-border team - composed of landscape designer and artist Diana Gruberg, architect Marie-Eve L. Brodsky (Atelier SUWA) and architect Vincent Sijssens.
In ecology, succession is the process by which biological communities reassemble. It begins with a disturbance - like fire, floods, or clearing - followed closely by the emergence of pioneer species, stabilizing the soil and providing nutrients that promote new vegetation.
This garden invites visitors to experience this succession. Walking paths wind through several planting blocks that vary in height according to their stage of succession—the higher the mound, the later the stage. The plant selection is consistent with the local boreal forest biome. Initially populated by circumboreal species like fireweed it will eventually make way for more regional species like spruce and birch trees. While this garden captures a given moment of that process, it will continue to unfold and change naturally.
It also invites visitors to document this succession. With paper, pencils, paint, and a stool at their disposal, they can immerse themselves in the garden. They are invited to draw their vision on a given day, and can post it on the garden shed. Over time, the garden and observations will both aggregate, providing simultaneous windows into both ecological and human succession.
