Jardins de Metis - “Crossfade_The Rythm of Boundaries”

Reford Gardens, PQ, Canada | 2025

“Crossfade: The Rhythm of Boundaries” interprets the essence of hip hop as a dynamic exploration of borders—social, spatial, and personal. This garden redefines boundaries through rhythm, movement, and expression, inviting visitors to interact with the garden as a living musical composition. The space is organized in a linear form, resembling a musical bar with bass and treble clef staffs that run across the garden. Along these staffs, vertical poles act as notes, supporting mesh screens where climbing plants form "living graffiti," creating an evolving visual score over time.

Visitors move along circular paving stones, or "rests," arranged in rhythmic intervals, guiding playful movement that mirrors musical pauses. These circles also offer places to pause and reflect, inspired by hip hop’s communal spirit. As visitors engage with this landscape of rhythm and nature, they become part of the composition, adding steps to the garden’s rhythm. Crossfade transforms the garden into a boundary itself—a space bridging nature and culture, inviting exploration and interaction across organic and human-made lines.

Planting Design (Living Composition)

The planting design unfolds gradually, like a musical composition. Climbing plants, such as hops and morning glories, cover mesh screens, creating a living “musical score” over the festival’s duration. Low-growing ground covers form a steady “baseline,” with grasses and shrubs adding rhythmic texture. Around circular stepping stones, aromatic herbs like thyme and lavender release subtle scents, enhancing the sensory experience as visitors move through the garden

Visitor Interaction and Movement

The design invites movement and interaction, allowing visitors to become part of the garden’s rhythm and melody:

• Rhythmic Flow: Visitors create their own paths by choosing where to step among the rests, composing a unique, ever-changing pattern of movement and interaction.

• Evolving Engagement: As visitors return throughout the festival, the garden grows, and new vines fill out the notes, creating a continuously evolving, living piece of music.