01/06-31/08/2012

Juliette Delventhal and Paweł Kruk

Were Like Gardens

Juliette Delventhal, a chef from San Francisco, and Paweł Kruk, Polish visual artist, during their three month long residency at Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art are realizing a common project We’re Like Gardens. The central point of their project is a vegetable, fruit and herb garden in front of the Laboratory building.

The unused area is perfectly situated with optimum sunlight for growing food and easy access to water supplies. It will produce organic heirloom crops for use by the culinary program. It will be a resource for renewable, locally grown food, while literally nourishing the artist community. The concept of the garden, using the permaculture ideas, refers both to traditional kitchen gardens as well as contemporary urban gardening practices. We’re Like Gardens is an attempt to test the possibilities of the urban garden in the context of the Ujazdowski Castle and the public area of the surrounding park. The local community of employees and residents of the Ujazdowski Castle as well as employees of the neighbouring Theater Institue have been invited to create the garden and enjoy its fruits.

This model garden is one of the proposals to give an alternative function for the unused urban spaces. It is a place for integration of the local community around common work and the joy of its effects. The garden is also a point of departure of series of actions and workshops around permaculture and urban gardening, but also culinary sessions, informal meetings, talks, discussions and spontaneous events.

The garden was built in collaboration with the permaculture specialists, Robert Błaszczyk and Tomasz Kawka, founders of collective „Trawnik to nie wszystko”.

We’re Like Gardens is a part of an interdisciplinary project by the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art 'Green Jazdów' planned for summer 2012.

Realisation of the garden and the residency is possible thanks to support of Trust for Mutual Understanding and the City of Warsaw.
Seedlings come from PlantiCo Zielonki Sp. z o.o.

We like gardens. We like to cook. We like art. We can do this. Why not?

01/06-31/08/2012