Grow Your Own Art: Mosaiculture
Experience 25 extraordinary, enormous living sculptures created by an innovative Canadian company.
By:
Jeff Stafford
Every Garden Needs an Ogre
International Mosaiculture of Montreal is a non-profit that promotes gardening and horticulture as vital components of urban landscapes through unique exhibitions like the "Imaginary Worlds" show at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Mosiaculture is also the art of creating giant topiary-like sculptures using thousands of annual bedding plants to carpet steel armature forms like this ogre.
The Legendary Unicorn
This mythical creature is one of several fantasy creations in the "Imaginary Worlds" show created by Mosaiculture of Montreal for the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Shaggy Dog
Made completely from living plant material that covers a steel armature form, this magical sculpture at the Atlanta Botanical Garden uses soil and sphagnum moss-filled netting to hide its internal structure.
Fruit and Berry Medley
Created from succulents, grasses and annuals by Mosaiculture, these whimsical fruit topiaries in the Atlanta Botanical Garden edible garden represent a living, sophisticated evolution of the traditional "stuffed topiary" technique.
Snake in the Grass
Set against the backdrop of downtown Atlanta, this gigantic cobra created by Mosaiculture towers over the visitors to the amazing "Imaginary Worlds" exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Building a Better Bunny
Like the magical creatures in "Alice in Wonderland," the Mosaiculture sculptures of "Imaginary Worlds" at the Atlanta Botanical Garden offer an otherworldly vision.
Green Goddess
A 25-foot tall wonder and the star of the "Imaginary Worlds" exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, this combination sculpture/fountain is a representation of a goddess emerging from the earth. Since its appearance in "Imaginary Worlds," the sculpture has been added to the Atlanta Botanical Garden's permanent garden collection.
Flight of Fancy
Despite its steel armature skeleton, this giant butterfly is a delicate piece of art composed of living plants and requires a climate-controlled truck for transportation to other exhibitions after its stay at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Two to Tango
This whimsical fish fountain is one of the more memorable water features of "Imaginary Worlds," the unique living sculpture show created by Montreal's Mosaiculture and exhibited at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
The Man Who Planted Trees
Winner of the Grand Honorary award at the 2009 Mosaiculture show in Hamamatsu, Japan, this living tableau pays tribute to Frederic Back's 1987 animated film "The Man Who Planted Trees" based on the fable by Jean Giono. It told the story of a shepherd who transformed a desolate valley into a fertile field and forest.
The Flood Guardian Turtle
One of the highlights of the 2006 Mosaiculture show in Shanghai, this ornate display of living sculptures represents a popular myth from the Taihu Lake region of Wuxi, China.
Indian Sage
Buddha and the City of Seven Cities, representing New Delhi, India, was one of the larger than life garden sculptures featured in the 2003 Mosaiculture show in Montreal entitled "Myths and Legends of the World."
The Deity of Transition
This enormous living bust of Janus, the god of beginnings and endings in Roman mythology, was created for the 2003 Mosaiculture show in Montreal by artisans from Genoa, Italy.
Boston Quackers
Created by horticulture artisans from Boston for the first Mosaiculture exhibition in Montreal in 2000, these magnificent shrubbery ducks are symbolic of the past and future of the historic Massachusetts harbor town.
A Dip in the Pond
A tribute to wild water buffalo, which are on the endangered animal's list, this living sculpture from Thailand was featured in Mosaiculture's 2013 show in Montreal.
Mallard Sightings
Representing the borough of St. Leonard in Montreal, this playful representation in the 2013 Mosaiculture exhibition in Montreal honors the mallard, considered the tamest of all ducks and a breed which adapts easily to urban settings.
First Millennium Tiki Culture
The monumental stone statues of Easter Island created by the early Rapa Nui people are represented by this haunting live sculpture from Chile, featured in Montreal's 2013 Mosaiculture exhibit.
Atomic Age Reflections
Presented by the city of Hiroshima, Japan, this eloquent entry in the 2013 Mosaiculture show in Montreal is a reminder of that city's tragic past and a subtle message about the importance of peace.
Feeling Sheepish
A detail from the pastoral tableau entitled "The Man Who Planted Trees," an award-winning sculpture exhibit based on Jean Giono's ecological fable displayed in Montreal's 2013 Mosaiculture exhibit.
Wild Man of Borneo
The orangutan is the largest arboreal mammal and the word orangutan comes from the Malay and Indonesian languages meaning "man of the forest." This 2013 Mosaiculture sculpture created by artists from Borneo, Malaysia is representative of that region's distinctive biodiversity.
Crane Savior
Based on a true story that occurred in China in the late 1980s, this plant sculpture from Shanghai is a depiction of a nature reserve worker who saved an injured crane in the water but drowned in the process. An entry in the 2013 Montreal Mosaiculture exhibition, it pays tribute to the girl's memory and the red crown crane which is an endangered species.
A Butterfly Canvas
Reproduced from a 1878 drawing by a Paris gardener, this Mosaiculture exhibit resembles a paint-by-numbers canvas.
The Amphibian Muse
Created by artisans from Barcelona, this elaborate topiary-like sculpture of a salamander pays homage to the spirit of Antonio Gaudi, the Spanish architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism.
The National Bird of Finland
The Trumpeter Swan was almost driven to extinction in the early 20th century and this living sculpture from Helsinki, Finland is a symbol of the fragility of life on this planet.
Pollination Power
The province of Hainaut, Belgium began a program in their community called the Maya Plan which was created to ensure the survival of bees and foraging insects. This sculpture is dedicated to that movement and is featured in Montreal's 2013 Mosaiculture exhibit.
