‘Jumping Jack Flash’ – a Garden Designers Round Table Post on ‘getting from here to there’
‘I was born in a cross-fire hurricane
And I howled at my ma in the driving rain,
But it’s all right now, in fact, it’s a gas!
But it’s all right. I’m Jumpin’ Jack Flash,
It’s a gas! Gas! Gas!’
So sang The Rolling Stones in the 60′s
Ever wonder at songs and their lyrics?
Keith Richards of The Stones explained: “Mick and I had been up all night, it was raining outside, and there was the sound of these boots near the window, belonging to my gardener, Jack Dyer.
It woke Mick up. He said, ‘What’s that?’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s Jack. That’s jumping Jack.’
I started to work around the phrase on the guitar, which was in open tuning, singing the phrase ‘Jumping Jack.’ Mick said, ‘Flash,’ and suddenly we had this phrase with a great rhythm and ring to it.”
And so a UK 1968 no 1 hit was born.
Brain storming and blue sky thinking - what we garden designers are good at!
And there has been plenty of both involved in the creation of The Garden of Cosmic Speculation:
Here in Border Country Charles Jencks and his wife Maggie Keswick together created their fabulous earthworks and elegant lakes. It is a grand, expansive world of grass and water. But to one side you find yourself in a rather gloomy wood and the only escape is:
to cross a rather wacky, hipped bridge:
And you then find yourself in open sunlight
but on a loopy lou boardwalk which tilts through 5 planes, (giving it such a dynamism that it appears to lift off the ground)
and ends in another wacky bridge.
We roared with laughter as we staggered drunkenly, but totally sober, along the boardwalk, then climbed the steps and mused over the asymetric beauty of these so called ‘Jumping Bridges’ which seem to fly out of the ground:
But of course there is so much more meant here than just fun and beauty, however much those are to be valued.
We are in the world and mind of the post modernist Charles Jencks. He is hot on message in the landscape and his message here is nothing less than the history of the universe.
‘One theory about the origin of the universe is that it started out as a runaway imbalance between particles and their opposites, anti-particles. According to the Uncertainty Principle the void or vacuum is always seething with pairs of such virtual particles that jump into existence from nothing and then are annihilated by their opposite’ says Jencks.
So amidst our laughter we were physically imitating the origins of the universe.
The asymmetrical curve of the bridges was inspired by fractal or naturally imperfect geometry rather than classical geometry.
But the bridges also have bays where you can sit and picnic.
Seems very much like having your cake and eating it!
Our American colleagues will be awash with brainstorming techniques on ‘getting from here to there’.
So click on the links below:
Debra Prinzing & David Perry: A Fresh Bouquet
Pam Penick : Digging : Austin, TX
Scott Hokunson : Blue Heron Landscapes : Granby, CT
Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In The Garden : Los Altos, CA
Jenny Peterson : J Peterson Garden Design : Austin TX
Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ
Susan Morrison : Blue Planet Garden Blog : East Bay, CA
Jocelyn Chilvers : The Art Garden : Denver, CO
Christina Salwitz : Personal Garden Coach : Renton, WA
for some blue sky thinking
L and R
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That is such well-contrived quirky, it isn’t quirky at all. It looks like the only way one could have defined “the way”! And those manipulated landforms…nice and worth the extra maintenance!
What a fantastically inspired interpretation of this topic! I loved it. Thank you for introducing me to this amazing piece of art and architecture!
Here is what I learned today:
1. The inspiration behind a favorite song of my youth.
2. I very much like whimsy and contrasting juxtaposition in the garden.
3. Although I can tread water with the best of them, I am in way over my head when it comes to interpretive design.
This is very cool!
These pics made me giddy! That red path and funky bridge is SO stunning–and so simple! I’m all verklempt now.
It’s like something out of Alice in Wonderland or the Wizard of Oz with its iconic yellow brick road. It’s not for nothing that comparisons to magical-world children’s books spring to mind, I bet. But I liked hearing about the fractal geometry and larger meaning of the place too. Lots of food for thought here.
Hi David,
Yes it is all very carefully thought out and was just such a fun installation.
there was lots of stuff there that I didn’t like and to be fair lots that I did.
Yes you are right re the earthworks. The standard of maintainance of the grass on pool edges and stuff was just so high, necessarily to have those crisp lines which sing, that you just know it is a lot of quite boring work to maintain. But such a success. Thanks for your comments.
best
R
Hi Christina, thanks so much for your supportive comments! Yes it is an inspirational place. Just a google is worth it for the images there. And his book is well worth buying for images and the story. Quite heavy on the science side tho. Dumbo me had to think quite hard on the scientific theory to keep up!
Best
R
Hi,
Yes the stones were the band of my youth and we prided ourselves on going for them rather than the Beatles which our parents found more acceptable!
See comments to Christina – some of the science side was quite heavy and ott and the linkage of the site left a lot to be desired, but some amazing set pieces. Best where simple line and as you say juxtaposition won thru.
Best
R
Hi Jenny,
Yes the redness was quite effective.Believe it is a reference to use of red in chinese culture. But very striking in a mainly green landscape! There was some really funky stuff there, but simple was best. Love use of verklempt word! Not heard before. Part of my vocab now!
Best
R
Hi Pam,
Yes I think you are on the money re the fantasy idea. Its a grown up kid’s private playground – that is my theory. Lots to learn and be inspired by, in quite a distant way I think. Can’t see our clients insisting on the use of fractal geometry in their gardens, but u never know!
Thanks so much for your comments.
Best
R
oh my gosh. oh my gosh. I so want to visit this wacky, red-pathed, red-bridged garden!
thanks for making me smile. and think!
Debra
Well it will be a long journey for you. It felt long enough just from Bristol UK! Yes it was an extraordinary visit and gardens which say the extraordinary are few and far between. It did not all work for me, but then I guess people would also say that of mine. Hope you make it to Scotland!
Best Wishes
Robert
Wow. WOW. I would so love to cross this bridge with a good friend by my side. Thanks for the fantastic journey today!
FUN!!! I love when people do such wild things. When I feel tempted to be too “safe” in my proposals, I’ll remember the loopy-lou pathway and bridges in this landscape. Great!
Hi Rebecca,
Yes its a good garden to visit with someone. Also for the long drive there. But I’m guessing long drives mean nothing to you in the States! i went with someone who wasn’t into gardens. So it was quite a good test of the garden. We both liked bits of it and others not and not always the same bits which of course provokes a good discussion of the whys and the wherefores. But we both loved the Jumping Bridges!
Thanks for your comments.
Best
R
Hi Genevieve,
Yes wild can be fun. We take a formal brief when we take on a garden to try and work out exactly what is appropriate. We also show some pencil options which sometimes includes a wild card. The desire for a scientifically based garden hasn’t yet presented itself. But you are exactly right that one can try and present the spiritedness of it!
Thanks so much for your comments.
Best
R
I’ve been fascinated and repelled by this garden since I first became aware of it. I have a feeling that the photos don’t do it justice and that it’s a ‘have to be there’ kind of place. I also know that this type of environment can only be created by the person who owns it and has the vision for it. Thanks for making me want to go in person.
Hi Susan,
Think some things are better and others not in reality! The camera lies and makes things seem bigger and ‘different’. His book really sold the garden. But of course you need to visit any garden to really feel it The pics don’t show the way it sometimes connects and sometimes not, etc etc. There was so much I liked and quite a lot I didn’t. But I would not have missed it for the world even given the thousand mile drive! There was one extrordinary moment high on the earthworks with the ground falling away on either side when I felt that I half knew what it would feel like to fly. And you are going to laugh, but I was tempted to lift my arms to find out for sure!
Thanks for your comments Susan.
Best
R
What an amazing, fun, inspiring, jumping post! I never heard of this garden, but am racing off to Google it as soon as I leave this comment. I want more!
Dear Susan,
Yes it is a fun garden! Hope you found something on Google to develop your research.
Best
R
Can only echo the others’ comments and give you a mighty Bravo! for your interpretation of the theme and explanation of a complex and quirky piece of landscape art. Thank you!
Hi Jocelyn,
It was a fun part of a fun garden and thats the truth!
Thanks for your kind comments!
Best
R
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