The Gardener's Diary

Year 3 Conceptual Project, 2021

“The more perfect the artist, the more completely separate in him will be the man who suffers and the mind which creates; the more perfectly will the mind digest and transmute the passions which are its material.” - T. S. Eliot

PROJECT STATEMENT

Dear Diary,

I recently rummaged through my old series of diaries and found some melancholic entries that sparked an idea for a project.

It will be on appreciation and gratitude in the form of a drawing diary in response to mental health issues, such as depression.

Located in the ruins of Renwick Hospital of Welfare Island, an island that used to house the undesirables of the city through its asylums, hospitals and prisons, much like our rejection of mental health problems.

The project is informed by my list of small details in life and on the site that gets overlooked, which will be spatially translated in the architecture prototype.

The drawing grows as more details are noticed, the drawing itself acts as a growing diary where it gets reconditioned daily by me who will tend, care and maintain the space. I always have this feeling that there is a visitor within me that visits the space, who might create chaos within the garden based on their emotions, she is the other side of my psyche. We shall leave traces for each other as we will never meet.

The drawing is where the garden is architecturised, and the architecture is gardenised.

I have always wanted a safe haven for my thoughts, a garden to defuse my worries, hopefully through this drawing diary I shall find my peace...

Yours Truly,

The Gardener

06.12.2021

CONTEXT THEMES & SITE