Les Jardins de Métis, in Gaspésie, is preparing for a busy summer this year, because the region could be hit by a storm again by Quebecers, and this time, pandemic or not, the venue intends to present dozens of outdoor events, starting at 22H International Garden Festival.
Snow is still abundant on the Gaspé Coast, but the Jardins de Métis workshops are already busy building some facilities for the upcoming International Garden Festival, which will open on 26 June.
Summer theme: The magic is overFive proposals for which were selected. The allusion to confinement is not an accident. “There was a desire on our part to respond to this major event,” explains Alexander Rifford, Director of Rifford Gardens and Festival.
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Image provided by MÉTIS GARDENS
With th Acoustic mirrors By Montreal landscape architects Emmanuel Loosler and Camille Zarubi, visitors will be able to “hear” the gardens, riverside or land side.
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Image provided by MÉTIS GARDENS
Hässja, By Swedish engineer Emil Bäckström, nurtures a “reflection on an agricultural landscape” by exploring the mysterious traditional structures for drying hay.
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Image provided by MÉTIS GARDENS
the garden Open spaceDelivered by Quebec’s architect-trained LEGAC team, demolish the walls of the house to open it to nature.
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Image provided by MÉTIS GARDENS
Choose your own adventure, Of Balmori Associates in New York, invites you to rethink your relationship with the environment by staging natural phenomena.
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Image provided by MÉTIS GARDENS
The good luck, David Bonnard of France, Laura Giuliani and Emily Vialli, will invite the public to symbolically pass through the doors that have separated us from the world since the beginning of the epidemic
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the garden Open spaceIntroduced by the Collective Inheritance of Quebec, he will literally tear down the walls of the house, a symbol of confinement, to open it to nature. With HässjaSwedish architect Emil Baxström explores the mysterious traditional structures of drying hay, which he transforms into small huts to feed “a reflection on the agricultural landscape,” says Alexander Rifford, who is also a member of the jury that selected the projects.
Offers Balmori Associates Group in New York Choose your own adventure, Which is a composition that invites you to rethink your relationship with the environment by regulating natural phenomena such as wind, humidity, or heat. The Acoustic mirrors, By Montreal landscape architects Emmanuel Loosler and Camille Zarubi, for their part, are hearing enhancers, with two huge satellite dishes found. By landing at each focal point, we will be able to “hear” the gardens, the river side or the side of the land.
Finally, the good luckFrom David Bonnard of France, Laura Giuliani and Emily Vialli, he will symbolically invite the public to pass through the doors that have separated us from the world since the start of the epidemic to look at a new horizon.
Unlike last year, Jardins de Métis thinks they can welcome some of the designers of these ephemeral creations, which generally stay on-site between two and four summers. Despite the health restrictions, Alexander Reford also hopes to be able to offer outdoor activities throughout the summer.
PHOTO ALI INAY, submitted by JARDINS DE MÉTIS
Alexander Rifford, Director of the Rifford Gardens and International Garden Festival
Last year, except for the festival and some concerts at the Conservatoire de Rimouski, everything was canceled. We remain cautious, but we are optimistic about the upcoming summer.
Alexander Rifford, Director of Rifford Gardens
Alexander Rifford, who also plans concerts and literary activities, adds, “Architect Pierre Thibaut, who has worked with the Jardins de Métis for 20 years, will build a few“ plots ”to allow for small shows in the open air. . The on-site architectural studio, which is also celebrating its 20 years of collaboration with the gardens, announces other permanent interventions on the site. Squad details will follow over the next few months.
With the help of architect Kim Pariseau, the food track has also been completely revamped this coming summer. “In the context of the pandemic, we wanted to reinvent the waiting list to make it a friendly, colorful lane,” explains Mr. Rifford.
Photo by Jean-Christophe LeMay, courtesy of Gardens de Metis
In 2020, despite a very small program and a three-week delayed opening, the Jardins de Métis welcomed 60,000 visitors, the equivalent of a regular year.
In 2020, despite a decrease in programs and a three-week postponed opening, the Jardins de Métis received 60,000 visitors, equivalent to the previous year. “Although foreign tourists are absent again, we think we’ll have more this summer, between 10 and 15%, especially if Canadians travel, according to the manager’s estimate. The good news about the pandemic is that we’ve had a lot of young people between the ages of 20 and 20.” 30 years ago this past summer, and I think they enjoyed their experience. Maybe we won new customers for life! ”
Les Jardins de Métis is scheduled to open on May 30th.