EXPO: Botanical scenography

From 28 May to 3 August, students of the Interior Architecture programme at KU Leuven will display the results of their undergraduate thesis with spatial designs in the gallery wing of the remarkable Herbarium Building*.

Twenty students drew inspiration from the unique context and collection of the Botanical Garden for their designs, research and exploratory work.

Botanical Scenography is a design studio that, through design research, seeks spatial interactions between botanical research and a socially relevant issue or narrative. Over six months, the site of this botanical garden served as the thematic backdrop to discover and explore. The students physically documented and sketched in the garden, participated in guided tours, and visited behind the scenes to observe the scientific work and educational programs.

This exploratory research was further supported by thematic studies and was through the process translated into a scenographic installation or experiential space that can evolve over time and experience. The installations address various themes such as growth, science, decay, infusion, memory, projection, collection, silence, and transformation. Each creation derives from an individual observation, design research, and spatial experiment.

These fictional projects invite visitors to wander, to slow down, to imagine, to experience, to learn, to question... and also to let go.

Practical

• When? From 28 May to 3 August, during Botanical Garden opening hours
• Where?  Gallery wing of the Herbarium Building, via Entrance Empress Charlotte