MEDIA RELEASE #19 07 NOVEMBER 2007

Boogie til ya' just can't boogie no more

Working with the latest trends is a young or new designers dream. Even better is a brief with just a few rules to. In the TOWER Design Marquee at Ellerslie International Flower Show, there are only two. Firstly, exhibitors must be current landscape design students or first time exhibitors. Secondly, exhibits must display a strong horticultural content. Aside from this, the palette remains clear to inject the most bizarre of elements a fresh mind can dream up.

The fun, captivating theme for TOWER Design Marquee at EIFS 2007, is trendy 'Retro Revival'. Spanning the crazy, colourful 60's and the volatile 70's, exhibits are bound to revive the memories of many of us - albeit in a modified form!

Inspired by stylish, contemporary 50's design, and launched in the wacky 60's, the space-age Futuro holiday home was the motivation behind James Kilpatrick and Deborah Harrison's entry. 'The Futuro Garden' is a tribute to this unusual ellipsoid home designed in 1968 by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen.

The Futuro utilized the potential of plastic and explored the ellipsoid shape as a clever space to inhabit. It was deemed an innovative space saving home of the future, and being portable, was perfect as a holiday hideaway. James' and Deborah's interpretation of a matching Futuro Garden utilises lush grass and native plants in a minimalist style well suited to this extraordinary dwelling. Deborah graduates in Landscape Design at Unitec this year, and James has one year to go.

Self-confessed sci-fi and Dr Who fan from way back, Debbie Duis, has created 'Relative Dimensions' - a garden exploring the world of the Daleks. With new episodes of Dr Who currently screening, Debbie decided this was the perfect fit for the fun and colourful 'Retro Revival' theme.

Featuring the Tardis and Red Dalek with a horticultural bias, Debbie's garden tells the story of a scout team sent to scan the planet 'Terraflora' for silica compounds known to exist there. Unbeknownst to the Daleks is that 'Terraflora' has a hidden agenda! Covert plant life forms called Floridians, which appear dead, transfer themselves onto the unwitting hosts and 'terraform' them (i.e turn them into compost!). With power systems failing and its outer shell already 'terraformed', Dr Who is in trouble! Only those 'Who' visit TOWER Design Marquee will see the outcome.

Debbie describes herself as a phenomenological designer - in simplest terms, one who designs through the interpretive study of human experience. After 40 years involved in the agricultural and horticultural industries, she recently completed a Diploma in Landscape Design and is about to complete a Post-graduate Diploma in Design Enterprise.

Ellerslie International Flower Show visitors will be catapulted into the 70's with Kim Hardy-Brown's entry 'Backyard Boogie'. Based on the groovy disco craze, Kim's garden depicts the best of boogie-woogie. A giant mosaic disco ball hanging from a stainless-steel tree sculpture dictates the dance floor, which consists of large circles on different levels. Mosaic pavers and specially moulded planted ceramic shoes add wild disco colours along with glittering 'Garden Jewel' lighting. Kim is a full time Parks Officer for North Shore City Council and part time landscaper.

Also pitched deep in 70's culture is 'The Pinball Garden' designed by second year Unitec students Rianne Stevens and Benjamin Ragland. Their intended client is a 'Pinhead' - a middle-aged pinball enthusiast who needs a bright, fun space to come home to after working in an office all day.

Their resultant design is an enclosed apartment courtyard comprising an arrangement of components inspired by those of a pinball machine, placed to make an interesting and interactive, two-levelled living and entertaining space for day or night.

A spa pool forms the central focal point, adding movement to the garden and a place of relaxation. The warm sheltered microclimate is perfect for dynamic subtropical bromeliads, which provide strong, bold lines, dramatic silhouettes and bright colours to complement the overall design. Bumpers become steel ring planters holding massive Vriesea hieroglyphica hybrids. Flipper tables become sunken planters. Clever lighting effects are initiated by the coin slot and bounced around the garden by way of mirrors, symbolic of shiny metal pinballs.

The Stevenson Tertiary Design Competition will also be displayed in TOWER Design Marquee. First time sponsors, Stevenson, are delighted to be involved in such an innovative area of Ellerslie International Flower Show where students have the chance to win not only the glory of a medal, but also a $1000 NGIA Garden Gift Voucher and opportunity to recreate their design at 2008 EIFS.

The brief for the Stevenson Tertiary Design Competition this year is to design an eco-friendly garden of the future for a holiday home or bach. Students must produce a conceptual paper design and scale model. They must also describe the location and architectural style of the bach, noting key environmental site characteristics, as well as demonstrate an understanding of the principles of sustainability. Stevenson product must feature as a key element of the hard landscaping.

Outside TOWER Design Marquee will be last years Tertiary Design Competition winning entry, 'Grass - a rooftop garden' designed by triple Gold winner Kelvin Chua. Kelvin describes his minimalist garden, inspired by scaffolding in Hong Kong, as 'Oriental contemporary'. Subliminal references to grass feature in a large bamboo sculpture and a varied palette of grass-like planting.

Be inspired. TOWER Design Marquee, Ellerslie International Flower Show, 2007.

ENDS

Ellerslie International Flower Show - 14-18 November 2007, Auckland Botanic Gardens, Manurewa.
Tickets from Ticketek and Foodtown/Woolworth Stores Nationwide
www.ellerslieflowershow.co.nz for visitor information