If you are unfamiliar, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society in Chelsea, London; and this year, amongst the traditionally spectacular garden displays there will be one that truly stands out.
Dubbing his project the ‘Skin Deep Garden, garden designer Robert Barker has decided to create an oasis that represents an array of skin conditions and forces visitors to contemplate their own skin insecurities.
While his design won’t feature a plethora of potions and products, Barker is instead using nearly 200 concrete blocks to represent different skin conditions, telling Harper’s Bazaar UK: "We've used various techniques with the concrete blocks to represent different skin concerns. For example, we've covered some in acid and added stain marks; some will have deep pores within them, others will have wrinkles."
And while the blocks will be the main attraction, Barker has also chosen plants that exhibit ‘flaws’: "We have been incredibly particular with the plants, choosing ones that replicate poor skin. We used Boehmeria platanifolia, which is a type of stinging nettle, because it has a large, incredibly wrinkled leaves and Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White', for their spotty appearance. I also got trees all the way from Germany, because of their peeling bark.
"For the visitors invited into the garden, there's a path that zigzags through it so that you come in very close contact with the sculpture and can actually feel the blocks. You walk over water features which are very reflective too, so you will be reminded not only of the key ingredient within skin, but also your own reflection."
The project will launch sponsored by Harley Street Skin Care, a London-based clinic. Speaking on its decision to take part, Harley Street Skin Care owner Lesley Reynolds Kahn said: We see so many different people at Harley Street with skin problems, ranging from anti-ageing and pigmentation to acne and rosacea. So, with the garden, we wanted to do something about how skin imperfections look and how they affect people.
"The thing I'd like people to take away from the garden is the effect that something on the surface of the skin can have on a person. We treat a lot of soldiers, with the Back On Track charity, who have come back from conflict with horrific injuries. Looking at a scar can bring back memories of a traumatic experience everyday. So, by alleviating that scar, by helping it fade, you can change an individuals personality."
