The Green & The Gardens, 2019, is a public space for everyone on the campus, including patients, employees and visitors. Led by internationally renowned British artist Ryan Gander, in collaboration with Gillespies, landscape architects, the concept transforms the space into a green heart for the campus. Together they developed the design and selected the planting, furniture and lighting. Gander integrated sculptural elements: coloured tents made of fibreglass that glow at night, an open gateway, a stile, and a community noticeboard for the whole campus to use and follow.
The sculptures have been made to transform the space, accentuating its role as a place where anyone can come to think or socialise with others.
Ryan Gander, says: “If you think back through time, across England’s towns and villages there used to be common ground for all; a common place to walk around and for personal and communal recreation. My vision is for this public space to be reminiscent of that, a level playing field for everyone to play on. It is a space where the public realm meets public art to evoke feelings of recreation, time-out and escape. I hope it will be a catalyst to help people daydream a little, think their way out of any challenge they face and find inspiration for new thoughts and ideas.”
Andrew Blevins, Managing Director of Liberty Property Trust, says: “We are very excited to unveil this first piece of public art from Ryan Gander. The new sculptures reflect our commitment to enhancing the areas we develop through public art. Now, more than ever, The Green & The Gardens, 2019, will provide the ideal physical space for “water cooler” moments and be transformed into a catalyst to nurture collaborations”.
Andrew Carrington, Managing Director, Strategic Land, Countryside, says: “Public art plays a key role in bringing an area’s character and values to life. Ryan Gander should be very proud of The Green & The Gardens, 2019, which will help spur even more collaboration and innovation on the campus through this new space, where natural and organic meetings will occur. Those looking for a quiet place to think will also find inspiration in the striking views provided by this new landscape concept and public art installation”.
The official opening ceremony on the 26th June was attended by several dignitaries and guests of honour, which included Dame Mary Archer who is the former Chair of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the artist Ryan Gander, Professor Richard Gilbertson from Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and Professor John Wallwork, Chair of Royal Papworth Hospital. Other major stakeholders from throughout Cambridge Biomedical Campus will also be present at the launch event.
The inauguration of The Green & The Gardens, 2019, is aligned with the original vision of the campus to create an ecosystem that is conducive to collaboration, innovation and excellence in science and health. It also falls in line with the outline planning consent for the 70-acre expansion of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, where Liberty Property Trust and Countryside committed to a substantial package of public art and public realm enhancement. Written and implemented by cultural agency Futurecity, the Cambridge Biomedical Campus Public Art Strategy is made up of two commissions:
The first is The Green & The Gardens, 2019, a public realm for patients, employees and visitors. This has been created by Ryan Gander whose vision is a village green and campground, which includes a series of public art works as part of his design.
The second commission is a campus-wide artist-in-residence programme to explore and promote the fantastic work taking place at Cambridge Biomedical Campus. MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Royal Papworth Hospital have both taken part in the experience to date.
The programme is one of the largest public art programmes of its kind in the Cambridge region.
About The Green & Gardens, 2019
The Green is an open, circular, green space for the campus community. It combines lawn, trees, seating, sculptures and lighting. It is a flexible space for individual use or group events and activities.
The Gardens are rain gardens, designed to capture the rainwater run-off from buildings, pavements and other hard surfaces and then temporarily store, clean and slowly release that water back into the
The Green & The Gardens was curated by Futurecity and delivered and funded by developers Liberty Property Trust and Countryside as part of the campus expansion.