The Garden of the Mind explores the idea of representations and translations of Thai landscapes. The design combines tradition and vigour and reflects the contemporary sense of life in Thailand. Inspired by the Thai concept of miniature garden, “Khao Mo” and German photographer, Andreas Gursky’s iconic photography series, Islands of the mind which portrays the aerial view of the Thailand’s southern islands and Khao Phing Kan or more well-known as James Bond Island; the garden is designed to create a surrealist landscape through composition and proportion.
The form of the landscape is inspired by the geological processes that have formed the islands located in the South of Thailand. These are monuments to time and place. They are a product of a process that has left no two alike –they are individuals. The collection of these individuals represents society and the way in which individuals rely upon – and identify with – each other.
Visitors are encouraged to reflect upon ideas of the self, time, and the nature of beauty in the abstract. The visitor experience is defined by different levels of enclosure; openings that frame glimpses to another space and reality; reflective surfaces that portray the image of the unseen landscape beyond; all leading to a space containing a central cluster of shimmering monuments floating upon a still body of water. It is in the heart of the garden that the visitor is invited to linger and gaze upon the sculptural elements and the surreal world in which they reflect back creating a surrealist landscape for contemplation.
Inspired by the Thai concept of the “Khao Mo” – or “small rocks” in English – the design tries to capture the essence of the “miniature garden”. “Khao Mo” is defined by a particular arrangement of a Thai garden with rocks and pools of water that dates back to the Ayutthaya period (14th - 18th century) and into the Rattanakosin era (18th century to current). Used in monasteries and Royal Parks, the “Khao Mo” is part of garden designs that include small pavilions and structures clad in gold tiles.
The mirrors on the north side of the garden are used to create an illusion of a much larger garden and an infinite plane of reflecting objects “Khao Mo” floating in a body of water. The reflected landscape allows people to be inserted into the image and memory of the “Garden of the Mind” and is a source of fun and novelty for the visitors.
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