A small indoor garden has been filled with trailing trellis, roses, cacti, succulents, and bushes, all of which are made from discarded denim fabric.
And it’s a delightful little garden to visit.
It’s an exhibition of denim plants by Ian Berry in, appropriately enough, the Garden Museum. According to an explanatory panel, also printed on denim, the artist stumbled upon the idea of working in denim after he realised his own pair of worn-out trousers could be used for an art project.
And shabby, worn-out denim is plentiful, so more than two decades later, the artist is still working with the material.
It’s also a very clever display, both a garden and an example of expert craftsmanship in creating the plants, the ponds, and even the encaustic tiles surrounding some of the displays. It’s the sort of display that makes you smile when wandering around. At times, you lean in, convinced that it’s a plant—no, it’s more denim—and ponder how clever the artist is.
And maybe how nicer these plants would look in your own home where they won’t need watering.
Just don’t do what I, and probably everyone does, which is occasionally touch the plants, and then notice on leaving a small box with a small sign saying not to touch the plants, but play with the samples in the box.
Whoops!
The exhibition, Ian Berry: The Secret Garden is at the Garden Museum until 8th September and is free to visit.
Note – the museum usually charges for a visit, but if you stick to the ground floor, then this display in the museum is free. Of course, if you’ve never visited before, you should at least pay to climb the tower.
This article was published on ianVisits
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