26th International Garden Festival now open to public

The 26^th edition of the International Garden Festival in Grand Métis, Quebec, called Borders, is now open to the public.

This year, artistic director Ève De Garie-Lamanque invited designers to rethink the notion of border in today’s postcolonial context and to transpose these reflections into a garden environment that “blurs disciplines, renegotiates preconceived ideas about garden/landscape, and actively dialogues with visitors.”

Out of the 180 projects from 27 countries submitted to the international call for proposals, four were selected. These include BACK / GROUND by Patrick Bérubé from Québec; Peek-a-Boo by Hermine Demaël and Stephen Zimmerer from Québec and the United States; Scars of Conflict by Michael Hyttel Thorø from Denmark; and You Shall (Not) Pass by Simon Barrette from Québec.

This year’s edition, which will run until October 5, 2025, unites these four new projects with gardens from past editions to showcase 28 contemporary gardens in all.

The notions of boundary and border aim to raise issues connected with geography and geopolitics. They designate markers or lines, delineate one area and distinguish it from another. They also occupy an important place in the modern and Western comprehension of the world: modern borders. These modern borders, known as Westphalian, aim to map out spaces and nation-states, articulate them, and relate them to one another.

A border may be understood as a “spatial object in mutation.” It partitions a whole, or determines a “segment of reality,” to grant it intrinsic value, while also disrupting continuity and “separate” digital from analogue.

The visual identity for the 26^th edition of the International Garden Festival was designed by bureau60a, an independent design firm led by Simon Guibord from Gatineau and Rachel Monnier from Percé. Their graphics drew inspiration from cartographic sciences, and adopted a biocentric approach.