The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is a private garden created by Charles Jencks. Located at Portrack House near Dumfries in South West Scotland, the garden is inspired by science and mathematics, with sculptures and landscaping on these themes, such as black holes and Fractals. The garden is not abundant with plants, but sets mathematical formulae and scientific phenomenae in a setting which elegantly combines natural features and artificial symmetry and curves.
The garden is the subject of an orchestral composition by American composer Michael Gandolfi, which he composed for a joint commission from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center. The piece was subsequently recorded by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Spano, and nominated for “Best Contemporary Classical Composition” at the 2009 Grammy Awards.
The garden is private, but usually opens on one day each year and raises money for Maggie’s Centres, a cancer care charity named for Maggie Keswick Jencks, the late wife of the garden’s creator Charles Jencks. The garden will be open this Sunday, May 5, from 12PM to 5PM. (via pursuitist; photos by Paulus Maximus)
