Nature of Japanese gardens

Nature of Japanese gardens is a documentary and multi-format project that explores Japanese gardens as living works of art. Through interviews with gardeners, artists and writers and through my own reflections as an artist, the documentary traces how these spaces link nature, spirituality and creativity.

What began as curiosity about narrative and movement in garden design and how these ideas might inform interactive installations grew into a deeper journey. Along the way, the project shifted from design elements to a more profound inquiry into mindfulness, impermanence, and how Japanese gardens embody attention and connection, offering ways of living with nature rather than apart from it.

Filmed during a residency at the Space Department in Nara, the project moves through historic, contemporary and experimental garden practices. Themes include:

• Gardens as poetry and land art

• Shinto and Buddhist ideas of spirit and emptiness (mu)

• The interplay of wild and cultivated nature (niwa, tei)

• Seasonal change and the micro-seasons calendar

• ma space and atmosphere as active presences

The documentary weaves these voices with personal narration, connecting garden ideas to my installation practice exploring water, pathways, and states of change.

People interviewed

• Zenjiro Hashimoto — Garden designer

• Marc Peter Keane — Writer, garden designer and artist

• Stephen Mansfield — Writer and photographer

• Ayumi Ikushima — Guide, writer and garden designer

• Masataka Ishizaka — Garden designer

• Mark Hovane — Writer and academic

• Eugene Soler — Architect, installation artist, founder of Space Department

• Ichinose Daichi — Painter

• Hyoyo Ikoma — Ikebana artist

Release

Short excerpts will roll out online ahead of the longer documentary. The podcast series will follow the documentary release.