MosaïCanada 150

A sculpture of majestic Mother Nature emerges from the earth, hand held skyward, streaming water down upon the land below. A mighty eagle lands for a sip, as larger-than-life horses gallop by. Deer gently graze out her other gigantic palm, resting gracefully on the grass to breathtaking effect.

From June 30 to October 15, MosaïCanada 150/Gatineau 2017, a display of master topiaries, will welcome guests at Jacques-Cartier Park, Quebec (minutes from Ottawa). Part of the region’s celebration of Canada’s sesquicentennial, this botanical art exhibit has been curated by the award-winning Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal, and features over 40 botanical-sculptural works—the aforementioned, precisely pruned Mother Nature key amongst them—along an almost one-kilometre paved path.

The art of mosaiculture, in which structural elements, like steel and internal irrigation systems, and aesthetic flourishes of paint are used to enhance predominantly organic sculptures, can be traced back to the Renaissance, when both 2-D and 3-D garden designs were commonly used in the decoration of aristocratic castles and manors.

This year, MosaïCanada’s special guest artists hail from Shanghai, China, represent their country with a new creation called “The Joyous Celebration of Nine Lions”. Crowds who attended the International Mosaiculture Exhibition, in Montreal, in 2013, will remember their stunning “Two Dragons Playing with A Pearl”.

“MosaïCanada 150/ Gatineau 2017 represents a unique occasion to highlight the charm, culture, and history, which have provided the identity of our beautiful country,” said Maryse Gaudreault, deputy of Hull at the National Assembly.

And as with all nature, these living artworks change colour and shape with the season.

Image courtesy of Guy Boily.

For more information visit www.gatineau2017.ca.

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