ZEN GARDEN, MADRID BOTANICAL GARDEN

This installation, promoted by Casa Asia, was available for visitation from June 12th to December 7th, 2022, at the Madrid Botanical Garden. It pays tribute to the inhabitants of La Palma Island. Japanese architect Hiroya Tanaka, assisted by the Madrid-based studio Burgos & Garrido, has created this Zen garden using ashes from the Cumbre Vieja volcano. On top of these ashes, natural stone blocks of various shapes and colors, provided by Naturpiedra, emerge as the main elements, representing the different islands that make up the Canary Archipelago.

The natural setting of the garden engages in a dialogue with the Japanese garden that occupies this 250 m2 area, creating a stark contrast with the immediate surroundings. It constitutes an artificial creation that symbolically imitates nature and presents itself as a space for contemplation, in contrast to the invitation to stroll that the botanical garden and its scientific collections offer.

The Japanese garden is a material representation of Japanese philosophy and thought, as it is also a cultural construction that constitutes the country's identity, and whose symbolism extends to the traditional architecture of Japanese houses.