As part of the celebration of our 25 year anniversary, we’re excited to announce that ‘The Pearlfisher Garden‘ has been selected as one of the gardens for this year’s prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
25 years ago, our three founding partners named Pearlfisher after the Japanese Ama- globally-respected Japanese women who free-dive to retrieve precious pearls from the seabed. These divers showcase how humans and nature can respectfully co-exist, but their skill is at risk of extinction due to the last of the original Ama ageing, with no new generations willing to take over, and the water of our oceans unhealthy to swim in due to the effects of humanity.
The Pearlfisher Garden is inspired by the largest garden in the world – the underwater garden of our great oceans. With a staggering 32% of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced annually left to flow into our oceans, the garden aims to draw attention to a planet drowning in waste with an innovative garden design that showcases the dichotomy between the beauty and destruction present in our oceans.
The Pearlfisher Garden consists of a series of below-water level aquatic tanks that transport visitors into a unique underwater world. Beneath a 3D-printed sculpture of a Pearl Diver made from recycled PLA plastic, will be an array of exotic plants that creatively showcase the beauty and possible desertification of the world’s most precious garden. Live fish will remind visitors of the threat to the food chain posed by ocean plastics and their associated toxins.
At the centre of the garden sits ‘The Coral Man’ from renowned sculptor and environmentalist, Jason deCaires Taylor. The boundary walls incorporate 1,000 recycled plastic water bottles, representing how much plastic packaging is thrown into the oceans every 5 seconds.
The team who have designed and curated the garden include RHS multi-gold and silver medal award- winner, John Warland; Pearlfisher’s Creative Partner and Chief Creative Officer, Karen Welman; and world-renowned underwater sculptor, Jason deCaires Taylor.
Held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018 runs daily from 22-26 May 2018.