COLOUR and BIOPHILIC DESIGN
THE POP UP GARDEN AT THE WESTIN PALACE - MADRID
The Pop-up Garden at the Westin Palace won the second prize in the prestigious International PIDA Landscape Competition.
The Pop-up Garden is a versatile installation that brings together art, nature and ecology (not just in materials but also in the mind), and new technologies in a space that integrates innovation, research, and design.
In the Pop-up Garden, greenery in all its forms becomes the focal point of the space.
All natural elements used in the gardens—various colorful types of moss, leaves, ferns, plants, orchids, and gardenias—are stabilized. These carefully selected plants have been meticulously assembled. They provide a completely natural feel and appearance, yet require no maintenance —neither water nor light— and remain intact for many years.
All materials used are flame retardant and 100% biodegradable, and ecological glues are employed. "The Pop-up Garden" was not only conceived as a 100% green and natural creation to admire and photograph but as an environment that aims to invite contemplation and relaxation, where visitors' well-being is paramount. Inspired by the mythical garden of Alcinous, glorified in Homer's Odyssey, it's a metaphorical space that transcends the rules of nature and time, symbolizing the dream of an 'eternal spring,' a profound wish of humanity. This garden is not merely decorative but a genuine metaphysical space where the evocation of beauty and harmony invites active contemplation, leading to a profound state of well-being.
Our concept presents a contemporary metaphysical garden, an ideal environment for relaxation and contemplation. Natural and organic elements (flowers, leaves, preserved mosses) symbolizing the "eternal spring" combine with cutting-edge research in digital printing, creating a warm and inviting scene that stimulates the senses and imagination. The Pop-up Garden also stands as our tribute to nature and humanity. The light boxes with flowers represent another version of cartographies of being, a recurring theme in our projects: body cells in the act of blooming. The Pop-up Garden includes various sections, from "The Organic Archipelago" and "The Garden of Earthly Delights" to "The Pixel Garden," which features soft moss-colored pixels, and "The Organic Planetarium," displaying different methacrylate spheres with miniature vegetal worlds inside. Additionally, "The Vegetal Light boxes" showcase 'Cartographies of Being', "The Literary Garden" is a vertical garden featuring a quote from Claude Monet made from mirrors, "The Flower Power" is a vegetal lightbox with flowers, among other installations.
This project secured the second place in the esteemed International PIDA-Landscape Competition, in collaboration with Monamour Natural Design —an eco and biophilic design studio.
Engaging all the senses and employing a contemporary language, Claudia Bonollo's Art Direction at Monamour Natural Design places significant emphasis on the study of colour. Spaces are transformed into sensitive environments ideal for contemplation and the evocation of feelings of well-being, resulting in the creation of highly diverse and versatile surroundings. Each project draws inspiration from ecological themes, consistently demonstrating respect for nature and the environment, ultimately giving rise to dreamlike and empathic installations.
Claudia Bonollo Head designer of Monamour Natural Design
Monamour Natural Design is a pioneering eco and biophilic design studio operating on an international scale. Each project, a result of continuous research and innovative techniques, evolves into a sustainable creation through the incorporation of natural elements into the final artistic and design pieces.
COLOUR & BIOPHILIC DESIGN
https://videopress.com/v/vrNKhKZJ
As the art director of Monamour Natural Design, Claudia Bonollo founded and leads a pioneering studio in Madrid, Spain, specializing in eco & biophilic design, creating multisensory installations using colour and organic and plant-based elements, blending art, nature, and design. Whether they are interior gardens with natural preserved plants whether vertical, horizontal, curved, or dreamlike, psychological, literary, thematic, or metaphysical, Claudia Bonollo's sustainable contemporary landscapes are sensory experiences precisely tailored to space and people.
