Folklore and Forest Fragments: Reading Contemporary Landscape Design in Quebec

Abstract

Whether intentionally or not, several young landscape designers in Quebec, Canada, have made use of the folklore and the fabric of the boreal forest as a metaphor that informs their project proposals. Recent designs for garden festivals in North America and Europe, projects for urban parks, and even town plans have been inspired by a concern for the future of the forest regime, a concern for its health, an appreciation of its beauty, and an understanding of its fragility. As a consequence of the hard granite Laurentian shield in Quebec, most of this forest regime is accessible only through the network of rivers and streams that serve as the highways of discovery and use of the forest landscapes. A number of contemporary landscape and garden designs are discussed with reference to the emotional forces that inspire a profound attachment to the forest that many call home. While these projects stretch the limits of our idea of the garden and of landscape process, they are warmly embraced precisely because they capture the essence of a landscape setting that resonates in the collective soul of the population to which they are addressed.