Summer Palace
Summer Palace was commissioned by A
Foundation (Liverpool) in collaboration with the Southport Flower
Show 2007. Artist Lisa Cheung worked with Seki Hirano and Annika Grafweg
from If Untitled Architects to design this large outdoor sculpture that
echoes walled gardens, hidden retreats and tea pavilions, creating both
public and intimate social space.
Click images for a larger version.
Southport Flower Show
Summer Palace was first shown at the Southport Flower Show in August
2007. To complete the sculpture, Lisa invited over 65 community groups,
horticulture societies and allotment associations from Liverpool and
Merseyside to exhibit over 100 garden plants, flower arrangements, prized
vegetables, vegetarian recipes and floral-inspired music to make a large-scale
collective display of the love of gardening and plants.
Lisa Cheung
Lisa Cheung was born in 1969 in Hong Kong and lives and works in London.
She studied at Queen's University, Kingston, Canada, and Goldsmiths
College, London, and has recently presented solo exhibitions/projects,
Aspex, Portsmouth; Spacex, Exeter; Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester;
Firstsite, Colchester; Seoul Fringe Festival, South Korea; Museum of
Garden History; Camden Arts Centre; and Gasworks, London. Her work is
in a number of collections including Arts Council England and Plymouth
City Museum & Art Gallery.
Lisa Cheung's practice as an artist is multifaceted and she uses a variety of media such as drawing, sculpture, installation and photography. Given her interest in the interaction of people and art, Lisa's work is highly participatory. Generosity is also a major component of her work and she is perhaps best known for her 'Public Feasts'. Her work is site-specific, negotiating private and public space and located in art galleries and museums but also in car parks, army bases, beachfronts and kitchen gardens
A Foundation
Lisa is taking part in the first Tatton Park Biennale in May 2008 in
Tatton Park's kitchen garden. This is part of Cheshire's Year of the
Garden, and part of the wider celebrations for Liverpool's European
Capital of Culture. Summer Palace was donated to the National Wildflower
Centre by the A Foundation and Lisa Cheung in April 2008 as part of
our outdoor creative displays celebrating people and nature. Our thanks
to the A Foundation and Lisa Cheung for their generosity.
Natural Booty
When Summer Palace was first commissioned, Lisa Cheung invited allotment
groups, gardeners and community organisations to bring plants, vegetables
and flowers to place in the sculpture. To celebrate Summer Palace at
the National Wildflower Centre, we would like people to bring any natural
object to fill it again. If you plan to visit the National Wildflower
Centre this Spring or Summer, please bring an object if you can, to
place during your visit.
We will be listing all objects and the people who brought them to show
the huge enthusiasm and love we know is out there for nature's booty!
Unfortuately we cannot return any objects and please note when choosing
an object that Summer Palace is permanently outdoors.
For more information contact Janet Pell on jpell@landlife.org.uk or tel 0151 737 1819.
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