University enters Tatton Show

MMU has won a silver medal for its magical Chinese Garden at the Royal Horticultural Society show at Tatton in Cheshire.

University art professor John Hyatt has led an MMU team which designed the stunning garden which he hopes staff and students will visit at the hugely-popular Cheshire show which opened today until July 27.

Professor Hyatt, who is Director of the Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art & Design (Miriad), says the theme will reflect an important year for China and the Institute’s growing relationship with artists in Asia and China in particular.

‘Tales from a Chinese Garden’ celebrates the country’s art, culture, mythology and plants in a collaborative work from fine artist Hyatt, sculptor Erica Wright, landscape architect Ed Bennis and Chinese artist Tongyu Zhou. Chinese musicians will be on hand to entertain visitors.

Art and Design Pavilion

A new painting by Prof Hyatt will be unveiled at the show in the Art and Design Pavilion and MMU colleague Dr Tongyu Zhou will present a Chinese poem related to garden and nature.

The design is a taster for Miriad’s planned exhibition at next year’s RHS show and is linked to its work with the Cheshire Year of Gardens 2008 and Liverpool City of Culture ‘08.

Prof Hyatt said: “It is a great honour to have a garden accepted by the Royal Society. It is quite an achievement as there are only 10 of these private show spaces at the show.

“We only entered for Tatton by chance because the design was originally for an art exhibition but we then discovered that it would be good enough to be considered for the RHS Flower Show.”

Philosopher

The garden is inspired by an ancient tale of a Chinese philosopher whose garden became uncared for when his lover disappeared, but when his wife returned it became fertile once again. Twelve different Chinese plants will be used including Peach trees, Davidiana and Chinese Hemlock.

“Over 60 percent of all the UK plants are Chinese. People often don’t know that a majority of the plants in this country have Chinese origins,” says Hyatt.

The garden also boasts a ‘mountain’ water feature with a dragon’s head mosaic, and a willow tree adorned by artificial ‘leaves’ bearing embroidered messages from local schoolchildren.

“It will refer back to the classical Chinese garden and the philosophies that were incorporated there but also combine this with modern elements to show that it is not merely a pastiche but a living design by contemporary scholar-artists,” added the Professor.

For more, go to the Tatton website at www.rhs.org.uk/tatton/2008/show-gardens/tales-from-a-chinese-garden.asp

To book tickets please visit their website at www.rhs.org.uk/tatton/2008/index.asp.