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Fineline on Gardening Duty
Bristol based fabrication specialists Fineline teamed up with garden artist and designer Fernando Gonzales of Metagardens to produce his revolutionary award winning ‘Pulsations' exhibit for the recent Hampton Court Palace Garden Show.
It was a bit of a change from making automated props and stage scenery for the entertainment industry, but every bit as challenging explains Fineline's Dave Harris.
Gonzales' elegant contemporary design for the work involved the production of a recycled polystyrene substructure featuring a series of organic curves on different levels, which Fineline machined in three separate sections for quick and easy assembly on site.
The garden was designed to demonstrate the possibilities of incorporating digital tools and new manufacturing techniques to a 21st century urban plot.
It formed a dynamic backdrop for a selection of cacti and other succulent, low water and architecturally attractive plants as appropriate for modern living. The design is particularly attractive to anyone with a creative eye and a busy lifestyle. Its protrusions and recesses resembling pulsations travelling through a landscape, with bold, simple lines, strong shapes and colours fusing to evoke an eastern feel. It makes an extremely relaxing environment for anything from working to entertaining to chilling.
Gonzales designed the 6 metre by 4.5 metre garden using Maya software. He was keen that the basic structural elements were produced in a minimum number of pieces, which Fineline then spray coated with plastic using their new plastic coating facility, after which it was spray painted black and lacquered. The three garden pieces comprised the back wall and two sides.
A 42 inch waterproof plasma screen was recessed neatly into the back wall, complete with a compartment on the back side to house a laptop feeding it with content.
The Fineline crew also went to site to complete the installation, undertaken in two stages. Firstly they built a deck for the floor out of 4 x 2 inch timbers and topped with Oriental plywood - completed on the first day of the build period. The sides and rear garden pieces were then bolted in place on top of this, after which Addagrip laid a resin floor over the exposed areas, producing a slick and smooth finish.
It was the first time the Fineline team has been involved in fabricating a complete garden, although Jen Bracey co-ordinated the build for one of the exhibits at the 2008 Chelsea Flower Show, so it wasn't completely uncharted territory for the company.
"Careful pre-planning ensured that the site build was very fast and efficient," says Dave Harris, "which was one of the original remits - as gardens can take several days or longer to set up at shows". It illustrated how this very flexible manufacturing technique can make any space into a calm, aesthetically appealing space.
‘Pulsations' won a bronze medal in the show's Small Gardens category.
21st July 2008
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