Diarmuid Gavin: Why gardens are among best places to display art

Forever-changing light and context add magic to outdoor art, which can enhance any room outside, says the garden designer

Sat, 04 Sep, 2021 - 18:06

Eve Kelliher, Home Editor

Five sprightly goats strutting their stuff in the St Luke’s area of Cork city may have stolen commuters’ hearts recently and days later it was the image of daredevil hares skiing in the same neighbourhood that captured the imagination of Diarmuid Gavin.

The hares and other fantastic creatures landed in the Victorian gardens at The Montenotte Hotel as part of an annual exhibition and celebration of Irish art and culture.

Garden designer Diarmuid was quite taken by the action-loving animal attractions when he attended the opening.

A rugby-playing hare by Donnacha Cahill.

“I think the overall standard and diversity of the pieces was super. I particularly like the humorous hares of Donnacha Cahill who are engaged in activities such as skiing down the Montenotte hillside, playing rugby for Munster or peering through a telescope at the boats on the water below,” says Diarmuid.

This exclusive collection of 45 contemporary pieces from 19 leading Irish artists will be in residence for a month-long showcase, until September 26.

Now in its third year, the exhibition, aptly titled “Reawakening”, includes works by other prize-winning sculptors including Stephanie Hess, Anna Campbell and Mike Duhan.

'Reawakening' is the title of the sculpture exhibition in the Victorian gardens at The Montenotte Hotel.

Diarmuid has spoken of how our rooms outside have become our havens in the past number of months.

“Our gardens have become our sanctuaries and we have been spending much more time enhancing and nurturing this space, relaxing and exploring our creative sides more than we ever have before,” he says.

“To me, this sculpture exhibition symbolises this ‘reawakening’ that many of us have experienced and acts as a reminder of the brighter days ahead. Each one of these sculptures tells a story that will enhance any outdoor space, acting as a talking point for many years to come — this is ‘garden art’ in a truly beautiful setting.”

I’m curious to know how the celebrated designer works garden art into his own exterior space, in County Wicklow. “My garden has both inherited and what I’d call ‘leftover’ sculptural elements," he says.

My favourite inherited piece is a lead heron which guards our goldfish in the pond and discourages real herons from lunching

“I have a series of pieces leftover from gardens created at the Chelsea Flower Show — including giant daffodils and some lollipops, a series of coloured spheres on top of black poles which featured in a garden we created in London in 2004.”

Does Diarmuid find he gets to retreat to his garden more now, post-lockdown, than he did before the pandemic? “Up to Covid I mainly worked abroad — flying short hops or long distances from Ireland every few days,” he says.

Sculptures at Reawakening, The Montenotte Hotel.

Over the past 18 months, everything has changed and my garden has kept me sane. Life has slowed down and I’ve dug and planted like never before.”

Is he passionate about creating art in his garden or collaborating with artists and sculptors himself?

“Each time I develop a show garden I work in collaboration with sculptors and makers. Sometimes the garden itself becomes a sculpture. Quite often a sculptural building ends up being my focal point,” he says. “I love this form of collaboration and each new project becomes my favourite project!”

Our spending on our gardens has spiralled skywards like Jack’s beanstalk post-lockdown. Does Diarmuid think art and sculpture will start to pop up more among the shrubs and strawberry beds now that we have a new-found appreciation for our outdoor rooms?

Gardens are amongst the best places to display art,” says Diarmuid.

Beautiful pieces of sculpture can make the most wonderful focal points in a garden design.

"The magic of displaying art outside is that its background and context is forever changing. Natural light changes through the day. During the evening and at night spotlights make sculptures the gardens primary focal points. And as our gardens mature more people realise the beauty and benefits of incorporating sculptures into garden scenes.”

Garden designer Diarmuid Gavin at Reawakening.

The sculpture exhibition is open daily from 10am at The Montenotte Hotel. Visitors are welcome and are asked to register with the hotel reception to be directed to the exhibition.

Across the border Diarmuid and horticulturalist Paul Smyth are running a three-day gardening festival in Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, from Friday, September 10, to Sunday, September 12, featuring talks, workshops and even a ball.

For details see
eventbrite.co.uk/e/diarmuid-and-pauls-garden-festival-tickets-149702743937.
For more details on the sculpture exhibition, see
TheMontenotteHotel.com