What a great innovative way to promote the important work of World Vision!

A world in perfect balance can only be seen in the reflection.

The International children’s charity World Vision UK teamed up with award-winning garden designers Flemons Warland Design to deliver a powerful message on global poverty through their garden at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. A large, reflective pond forms the garden’s centre piece, punctuated by two domes made from turf.

The first dome, above the water, represents children who have access to essentials including food, healthcare and education. The second, inverted dome sinks below the water to represent children who have not.

A world in perfect balance can only be seen in the reflection.

The World Vision Garden is framed by a series of screens, giving visitors different views from every angle. At times the garden is totally obscured, at times partially and only one view allows visitors to see the full reflection. Based on the Japanese concept of ‘ma’, the spaces between the shapes and surfaces are just as important as the physical elements of the garden.

John Warland, of FlemonsWarlandDesign, said:  “The idea for the World Vision Garden developed quickly and reflects the influence artists like Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Richard Wilson have had on my work.

“In these relatively austere times in the UK, it is easy to become introspective and focus on preserving one’s own assets and lifestyle. But everything in life is relative, especially when compared to the millions of children who are living in poverty.”

Justin Byworth, Chief Executive of World Vision UK, said: “World Vision believes the way to change a child’s life is to change the world in which they live, which is why we work closely with communities to achieve sustainable development. I hope that visitors to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show will be interested in finding out more about our work, including how families are learning improved gardening and growing techniques to feed themselves, and how they can offer a child in the developing world a chance to grow to their full potential.”

{Images via Telegraph; text source: Royal Horticultural Society}