The Invisible Garden is part of Art in the Garden, Chicago's first public art project to stretch from the lakefront to the inner city. Art in the Garden invited 24 artists to design gardens in Chicago Park District's major parks such as Grant Park, Washington Park, Douglas Park and Lincoln Park.
The Invisible Garden, a project conceived by Ellen Rothenberg, is camouflaged, extending through the rows of trees leading from South Pond towards North Avenue and circling the statue of Ben Franklin. The garden maps a social space, a design derived from a fragment of camouflage used to make both military uniforms and fashion accessories. This space, which includes skate boarders, running children, families, and pedestrians, is also a corridor of projections and fantasies, a reflection of the political, social, and ideological issues of our moment. The Invisible Garden becomes a point of broadcast and asks, "What aren't we seeing? What's all around us but remains invisible?"
The garden is located at 1601 N. Stockton Dr., across from the Chicago Historical Society (at the northeast corner of North Ave. and Stockton Dr.). The featured plants are Coleus 'Freckles,' Lobelia 'Scarlet Fan,' Gomphrena 'Woodcreek Red,' Ipomea batatas 'Margarite' (Sweet Potato Vine), and Ipomea batatas 'Blackie' (Sweet Potato Vine).
|
