White Garden
Installation, 2023
Québec, Canada
Design: ZHANG Jie
For the International Garden Festival Competition
This is a courtyard enclosed by four slanted walls (18.6m x 8.8m x 2.5m). The exterior of the courtyard is painted black, while everything inside—including the walls, gravel flooring, and plants—is covered in white paint.
The inspiration for this concept came from a scene we observed in the city: during construction, ferns were accidentally covered in white paint but continued to grow new leaves. The project reflects on this scene in a "harsh" and "uncomfortable" way, reminding us that no matter how enduring the marks people leave, they are fleeting within the broader context of ecology—and the universe.
The White Garden offers a constantly changing landscape. Over time, new leaves will gradually grow, and moss will cover the walls, transforming the white space into a lush, green one. Three cameras in the garden will document this process. After the exhibition, visitors will be able to take home white pots to harvest plants from the garden.
This project could also be interpreted as a satirical, environmentally-conscious take on Peter Zumthor’s Serpentine Pavilion.
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About
The Lab
Founded in 2019, ReBuild Lab focus on urban spaces and everyday constructions.
Outstanding Proposal (2023, China)Zhoushan Hello Islands Installation Competition
Honorable Mention (2023, Italy)
Reuse Italy Competition
Honorable Mention (2022, Estonia)
Tallinn Architecture Biennale-Vision Competition
Shortlist Nomination (2021, USA)
Ann Arbor Art Center-Alley Project
First Place (2020, UK)
Bubble Future Competition
Second Place (2019, India)
Archasm Competition
Members
ZHANG Jie / 张婕is a spatial designer and artist based in Shanghai. She trained as an architect at Huaqiao University and the University of Hong Kong from 2013 to 2020. Since relocating to Shanghai in 2020, she has focused on small-scale installations and spatial design, while continuously providing commercial interior design services for retail companies and government projects.
YANG Chen / 杨晨 is an architectural designer and illustrator based in Florence. He studied architecture at Huaqiao University (2013-2018) and Politecnico di Torino (2019-2021), and has worked at WNA Architects in Torino and ACE Srl. in Florence.
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