Lausanne Jardins ’97, “Jardins faisant”

The first edition carried three principal objectives. First of all, it was intended to promote the professional field of landscape architecture, and to show its contemporary developments in a moment when it was the object of a spectacular cultural curiosity in the European milieu. Secondly, it wished to generate a pathway through urban reality rather than simply produce a “gardening exhibition”. Following the four routes that formed “Jardins faisant” – in reference to the French expression “chemin faisant”, literally “being on the way” –, walkers could observe the real and living city as well as the gardens that interacted with it. And finally, the aim was to work and reflect on city development with the sensitive tools of landscape architecture and gardening.

The four town/garden circuits went through different areas in Lausanne: in the medieval historical city, on an esplanade overlooking the lake and the Alps, around the Design Museum, and along the metro line running from the lakeshore to the city centre. Many outstanding gardens were built by participants such as Gilles Clément and Christophe Ponceau (La Ficelle), Sylvia Krenz and René Schmid (Bleu leu leu), Emmanuelle Bonnemaison, Olivier Estoppey and Sylvie Perrochet (Faim), Jean-Jacques Borgeaud (La Jangada), Christophe Chevallier and Florence Marty (Sur les balcons de la Riponne), Françoise Crémel (Des terrasses qui s’enchâtaignent), Olivier Lasserre, Olivier Donzé, Laurent Sallin and Jean-Claude Deschamps (Passages), The Conservatoire des Parcs et Jardins de Chaumont-sur-Loire (Les chambres de saules), or Kathryn Gustafson (A l’échelle du spectacle).