EU Commission’s ‘In Perspective’ Garden invites visitors to reflect on how we can all play our part in reaching net zero

With an overarching message that our climate is changing and we all have a role to play, the garden offers visitors a space to see things ‘in perspective’, to absorb the beauty of nature while considering the role we can all play to protect it. 

Designed by Oliver and Liat Schurmann, the garden is a sculptural pavilion, over 10 metres high, created out of a simple and sustainable latticework structure. It features an accessible cloistered walkway, framing views of an external garden and a flooded internal courtyard.  In its design, building and planting, the garden challenges traditional thinking and seeks to inspire creativity, in line with the New European Bauhaus Movement (#NEB), with its goal of re-imagining sustainable living in Europe.

As the European Commission brings its ‘In Perspective’ garden to Bloom in the Phoenix Park for the very first time, European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness noted: “This is the time of year when gardens come alive. Increasingly environment and climate concerns are to the fore, including for those who enjoy pottering in their back garden. This “in perspective” garden is designed to make us think about how our gardens, large and small, can contribute to our environment, our soils, our waters and our air quality.”

Barbara Nolan, Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, said:  “This garden invites us to think about how we can all play our part in taking care of our precious environment, our nutrient-rich soils, our beautiful waters and our clean fresh air. With clear thought, imagination and conversation on the vast array of opportunities we have at our fingertips to do things even better than we did before, we can all make a difference.”

The EU’s Green Deal

The European Commission’s ‘Green Deal’ represents an umbrella of actions that will transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, where no person and no place will be left behind. 

It requires transformational change, with a need to rethink policies from clean energy, to transport, production and food and agriculture -  including the transformation of our living spaces and experiences. 

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) is a creative and interdisciplinary initiative that connects the European Green Deal to our living spaces and experiences. It aims to combine design, sustainability, accessibility, affordability and investment in order to help deliver the European Green Deal and the transition to net zero. It calls on all of us to imagine and build together a future that is sustainable, beautiful, and inclusive. 

‘In Perspective’, the European Commission’s garden at Bloom 

A must-see for visitors of all ages at this week’s Bloom is the European Commission’s ‘In Perspective’ garden, masterfully created by Liat and Oliver Schurmann.

The garden is a sculptural pavilion created out of a simple and sustainable latticework structure, which both sits within and encloses a landscape. Evocative of the earliest human settlements, but with a view towards the future, the garden emphasises our need to re-establish our connection with nature.

Featuring an accessible cloistered walkway, framing views of the external garden and a flooded internal courtyard, the centre of the garden comprises three islands and a planted landscape below the waterline. This internal scene gives visitors glimpses of both unspoilt and well-managed natural sites and time to think about our changing climate.

The garden offers visitors an opportunity to see things in perspective and to absorb the beauty of nature while considering the role we can all play in protecting it. 

The designers, Oliver and Liat Schurmann, were awarded a gold medal, Best In Category (large garden), and the People’s Choice Award at Bord Bia Bloom 2023.

About Bord Bia Bloom  

Bord Bia Bloom, Ireland’s largest gardening, food, and family festival, will take place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin from Thursday, 30 May to Monday, 3 June. A showcase of the very best of Ireland’s horticulture and food industry, the annual festival will once again feature a range of spectacular show gardens, over 100 Irish food and drink exhibitors, and family entertainment. 

Celebrating its 18th year in 2024, Bord Bia Bloom now attracts over 100,000 visitors annually and has grown into Ireland’s favourite gardening and lifestyle festival. Tickets are on sale now on BordBiaBloom.com and don’t forget, two children (12 and under) go free with every paying adult. To stay up to date with plans for the 2024 festival, sign up to the Bloom ezine at BordBiaBloom.com and follow on social media @BordBiaBloom #bordbiabloom.