"Paradise haunts gardens," writes Derek Jarman, "and it haunts mine." Jarman's public image is that of a filmmaker of genius, whose work, dwelling on themes of sexuality and violence, became a byword for controversy. But the private man was the creator of his own garden-paradise in an environment that many might think was more of a hell than a heaven - in the flat, bleak, often desolate expanse of shingle that faces the nuclear power station in Dungeness, Kent. Jarman, a passionate gardener from childhood, combined his painter's eye, his horticultural expertise and his ecological convictions to produce a landscape which combined the flints, shells and driftwood of Dungeness; sculptures made from stones, old tools and found objects; the area's indigenous plants; and shrubs and flowers introduced by Jarman himself. This book is Derek Jarman's own record of how this garden evolved, from its earliest beginnings in 1986 to the last year of his life. More than 150 photographs taken since 1991 by his friend and photographer Howard Sooley capture the garden at all its different stages and at every season of the year. Photographs from all angles reveal the garden's complex geometric plan, its magical stone circles, and its beautiful and bizarre sculptures. We also catch glimpses of Jarman's life in walking, weeding, watering, or just enjoying life. Derek Jarman's Garden is the last book Jarman wrote. Like the garden itself, it remains as a fitting memorial to a brilliant and greatly loved artist who, against all odds, made a breathtakingly beautiful garden in the most inhospitable of places. It will appeal to all those who are themselves practicing gardeners, as well as to the legions of admirers of an extraordinary man.
Derek Jarman nam mij de afgelopen maanden op sleeptouw. Dat ging aanvankelijk moeizaam, met Modern Nature, een lastig te overwinnen dagboek dat me pas na verloop van leestijd overstag deed gaan. De grootste ontdekking én troef van dat boek was 'Prospect Cottage', het zwart geteerde vissershuisje in Dungeness dat Jarman in 1986 kocht om er na de HIV-diagnose tot rust, denken en schrijven te komen. En te tuinieren, wat een hele uitdaging is op een keienstrand dat regelmatig gegeseld wordt door wind, zon en zout.
Eind juli bezochten we Dungeness, een plek die ook zonder 'Prospect Cottage' tot de verbeelding sprak. We waren niet de enige literare bedevaarders en het bleef bij een bezoek aan Jarmans tuin, want om het huis zelf te kunnen bezoeken waren we veel te last-minute. Ik moest het doen met Prospect Cottage: Derek Jarman's House, een prachtig en uitgebreid fotoboek over het interieur met heel persoonlijke bespiegelingen en beschrijvingen van fotograaf Gilbert McCarrager.
Ik kreeg er echter niet genoeg van en ontdekte dat Jarman zelf samen met bevriende fotograaf Howard Sooley ook nog een tuinboek maakte, waarin hij over zijn avontuurlijke en dappere tuiniers-ervaringen schrijft op die niet meteen plantvriendelijke, maar wél bijzondere plek. Toch is het meer geworden dan een tuinboek. Het is Jarmans laatste officiële publicatie, waarin ook ruimte is voor contemplatie, foto's van zijn levensgezel H.B. en andere vrienden uit zijn gezellig anarchistische queer-milieu. Verder zijn er enkele ter plaatse geschreven gedichten en mijmeringen in opgenomen over wat 'Prospect Cottage' voor hem betekende tijdens zijn laatste levensjaren.
Daarmee sluit ik een langgerekte en onvergetelijke vakantie-ervaring af, weliswaar met het heerlijke perspectief van een terugkeer naar Dungeness, ooit, om ook dat interieur te kunnen bewonderen. In de tussentijd kan ik door de fotoboeken blijven bladeren en wil ik Jarmans andere late schrijfsels nog lezen, zoals Chroma en Smiling in Slow Motion.
To enter Jarman's garden is to enter Jarman's sensibility: exacting, tough, lyrical, stubbornly in love with beauty. You need know nothing about his work as a filmmaker and painter to enjoy and benefit from this book, his own look at his Prospect Cottage garden, as Howard Sooley's evocative and haunting photos put you there on the shingle beside him.
Questo libro è davvero una chicca, non solo per chi è amante dei giardini, delle piante e della fotografia (il volume è corredato da oltre 150 foto, di cui 90 sono a colori), ma anche per chi è curioso di saperne di più sul regno vegetale.
"All'inizio la gente credeva che facessi il giardino per fini magici - una magia bianca per esorcizzare la centrale nucleare. In effetti, un po' di magia c'era - la magia della sorpresa, la caccia al tesoro. Un giardino è una caccia al tesoro, le piante i bigliettini che ti guidano."
Un piccolo angolo di Paradiso
"Sotto questo azzurro del cielo le mie aiuole sono quadranti d'orologio riflettono la sfera del sole. Fanno la guardia al suo levare e indicano il suo tramontare nelle terre a occidente. Non dormono mai. Restano sveglie sotto le costellazioni, in ascolto della musica del tempo, grandi voci ancestrali, cerchi di pietre e dolmen. Ridacchiano, sì, ridacchiano, e spettegolano. Il saggio scricciolo, la testa inclinata, le ascolta. Gli sciocchi cantano la vita in una vacua canzone che rapida si sperde nel vento, insignificante. Quanto si sbagliano. Anche se le molle degli orologi si rompono e le pile si esauriscono sulle cifre, le sabbie del tempo non vanno mai esaurite: sfidano il terrore della morte. Sono qui con la mia macchina da presa, la pellicola scorre. Non c'è niente al di fuori della mortalità? I giornalieri finiscono in fretta, qui ho una seconda chance. Il tempo scorre mentre i dodici apostoli danzano."
Derek Jarman ha trovato sollievo dalla sua malattia, prendendosi cura di questo giardino e donandosi la possibilità di continuare a meravigliarsi delle bellezze offerte dai colori della Natura.
"Vedere il mondo In un granello di sabbia E il paradiso In un fiore."
Il suo giardino è stato il suo Getsemani ed è stato il suo Eden. C'è l'incanto, la meraviglia, il pulsare della vita, che sa radicarsi anche dove le condizioni sembrano impedirla, e che sa anche adattarsi per superare le difficoltà. Ma c'è anche lo spettro della malattia che incombe su Derek e della morte che è sempre a un passo da lui.
Ineffably joyful, Dionysian,wabi sabi, austerely messy glory. How I miss Jarman. It was no surprise to me to find he was such a good gardener, with an eye for form and the patience to allow wind to prune his plants.
I absolutely love Derek Jarman’s garden which surrounds prospect cottage in Dungeness. A landscape that he was told would never be conducive to growing plants. How wrong everyone was. This beautifully written and photographed book is such a tribute to his work from directing films to creating amazing sculptures and growing plants and flowers in his beautiful garden. The house and garden are now protected and kept just as Derek would have wanted.
Oh Dungeness, Dungeness, altro che vallate e colline, la tua è una bellezza senza pari. Questo paesaggio è come quei volti che passano inosservati, il viso di un angioletto dal sorriso birichino. Qui non c'è quasi nulla che venga a turbare, solo il vento che, come il mistral, può far diventare un po' matti. Un gruppo di cadetti della Marina passa cantando una canzone marinaresca; il postino arriva sorridente con un'enorme pila di lettere provenienti dai quattro angoli della terra, spesso semplicemente indirizzate a "Derek di Dungeness", in cui mi si augura di star bene e di essere felice - e infatti lo sono. Questi anni sono stati per me i più straordinari, perfino nei pochi momenti di sofferenza, e nei tanti di intimità. Il giardino è stato il mio Getsemani e il mio Eden. Ho trovato la pace. All'alba mi preparo un primo caffè con Sibelius che mormora lungo il corridoio. Più tardi HB si addormenta - quando è qui dorme sempre davanti alla tv accesa. Howard è in giardino a spruzzare il fertilizzante: "Poco e spesso, poco e spesso".
What a truly beautiful book. The photography by Howard Sooley and the words by Derek Jarman combine perfectly to produce something that is a testament to Jarman's unique approach to life and art. The garden, for any who do not know, was (is) in Dungeness on the south coast of England, a huge pebble area overlooked by Dungeness nuclear power station. There are many fishermen's cottages, with gardens that are in general indistinguishable from the beach itself, one of which belonged to the author during the last years of his life.
I first went to Dungeness with my parents and sister when I was about eleven or twelve. Like Jarman did it was to have lunch at the Pilot, well known for its fish and chips. I don't recall what my initial thoughts about the place were - just that it remained in my memory. It wasn't until years later, after Jarman had died that I visited it again with a friend, and later still with other friends on a bitterly cold and sea-spray filled New Year's Day, to take a glance at his cottage and garden. Being so close to the road that runs through the spread out town it is easy to see it, and also easy to feel intrusive.
As Derek Jarman was in the final years of his life when the book was being written (but not surviving to see its publication) the words describing the battle that many of the plants have with the elements in such a harsh environment take on an almost personal quality, as though their lives were akin to his own. Many of the native plants have adapted to the land of course, and just as some appeared to thrive, so I got the impression that Jarman too felt invigorated by the garden and all he put into it.
When I finished reading the book my immediate thought was how it would make a wonderful gift - maybe for someone interested in gardening, or a fan of the author's film or art work, a nature lover, or one who is intrigued by unusual places. Then I thought that I would be hard pushed to think of anyone I knew who might not enjoy it. I found it very peaceful and inspiring, and whether it is glancing through the photographs or reading extracts from the text I know I shall often be re-visiting this exceptional book.
A beautiful book. A memoir and extended poem charting the growth of Jarman's garden on the shingle beach in Dungeness, overlooking the nuclear power station. It also seems to be some of his last work, written whilst he was dying. That such agarden could grow there by the sea seems improbable, and there's something quite post-apocalyptic about it, but the photography is gorgeous. A favourite.
This was s beautiful book—meditations on gardens, mortality, friendship. Gorgeous photographs. Derek Jarman was an artist in everything he did. I bought this book thinking I’d read it and then give it to a friend for Christmas. Now I have to decide if I’m willing to give up this copy or if I should get another copy for a gift!
I love this book. The pictures are truly beautiful - and sad, documenting the gradually decline of the film maker Derek Jarman as his garden grows and flowers. Prospect Cottage is a gem of a place set in the unconventional but strange beauty of Dungeoness in East England
A very painterly and poetic book on gardening and life. Gorgeous photos of a beautiful place, with Jarman writing on his life there and occasionally elsewhere. I'd love to visit; more love to live there....
Mijn schoon grootouders schonken mij dit boek ter inspiratie voor mijn opleiding tot tuin- en landschaps architect wat een heel goede keus van hen bleek te zijn. Alsook door de referentie uit mijn favoriete boek over het creëren van ecologische landschappen 'Planting in a post wild world' nam ik dit boek op. Ik kon dezelfde gedachtegang waarnemen zonder de diepgaande theorie en met meer de artistieke insteek van Derek.
Derek creëerde een wilde tuin die opgaat in het landschap. Zo kijkt hij naar kleuren en volgens de leer van Gertrude Jekyll's om de gepaste planten te kiezen die al in de omgeving voorkomen. Ook het rationele van het kiezen voor planten die te vinden zijn in de omgeving en het dus ook goed doen op een specefieke plaats vind ik de juiste insteek voor een duurzame ecologische tuin.
Wat ik een goede quote vond die aangeeft dat je de planten moet aanpassen aan de omgeving en niet omgekeerd.
- ‘The word paradise is derived from the ancient Persian - a green place. Mine is one of them. Others are like bad children spoilt by their parents, over-watered and covered with noxious chemicals.’
Ook spreekt hij op een grappige manier over de extreem gecultiveerde kasteeltuinen van de National trust.
- The national trust must have a central nursery as all their gardens look like that. You won't find this in Great dixter. It's shaggy. If a garden isn't shaggy, forget it.
Very good indeed. The ultimate inspiration for creating a garden with what you have rather than fighting nature; and the results being all the better for it.
I opened this book on Christmas, a gift from Will. I had previously never heard of Derek Jarman, I've never seen his films. But I did enjoy this book. Not his poetry, honestly, and I don't love his prose either--but his garden! First, Howard Sooley is a beautiful photographer. The black-and-whites, the vibrant colors. The photos are incredible. And Jarman was a fantastic artist in his garden. I think his garden is inspiring, and it is making me think about what I can do this year to bring more art into my space. Really, this is a wonderful book if you are looking for some creative inspiration.
I sometimes think I live in a clueless cultural bubble. I'd never heard of Derek Jarman. Last week I think it was, I was reading a book about pebbles (love pebbles, rocks, beachcomber) and the book made reference to some guy called Derek Jarman who made a garden at Dungeness (massive, massive shingle bank area on the south coast of England for those who don't know). That just sounded so eccentric and fun that I had to find out more and it was rather thrilling to find that he had written a book about it, with lots of wonderful photos.
The book in itself is a kind of diary/journal/collection of thoughts about the plants and the surroundings floating on the breeze. Just beautiful photography. I would like to go down to that part of the country one day. Learned a bit about the plant life and gardening there. And that the sea kale has roots going down 20 feet... just, wow.
Derek appears in quite a few photos, obviously the garden is his passion, and he's puttering about, sometimes carrying driftwood, and increasingly looking that way himself. And I looked up his biography. He died in the 1990s, this was the last book he wrote and he knew AIDS was going to get him (he died of an AIDS related infection as so many did back then) and it is sad to see him growing ever more gaunt as you get through this book. Although he looks at peace with this, at least in the pictures, and at peace with his plants and his rocks and random rusty metal sculptures.
Situated in the vicinity of a power plant in Dungeness is a wooden fisherman's cottage, black with tar and windows painted a vivid yellow. The terrain is desolate and wind-battered, yet Derek Jarman made a home for himself there in his final years and lovingly created a garden of flowers, vegetables, and herbs. Sculptures made from stones, old tools, and various detritus decorate the garden. The progress is documented with beautiful photographs accompanied by Jarman's writings. Jarman's garden thrives as his own body is ravaged by AIDS. Near the end of the book you can see his gaunt figure, and in one picture he is working in his garden with a hospital tag on his wrist. It's heartbreaking, but the care he put into something that gave him so much peace is inspiring.
I am slowly reading Jarman’s “Modern Nature” (diaries from the end of his life) and the garden features heavily. It was wonderful to see it and to experience more directly some of the views, plants, and art that he describes. I don’t think, however, that without the other book this book would have had the same impact on me.
I expected a book about gardening. It's a book about how to, if you accept what is, you can create beauty and magic even in most unexpected places. It's a book on how to live and how to die.
I am left melancholic every time I read Jarman's words. He is the only writer I know who speaks from the afterlife and haunts his readers. Beautiful and inspiring.
A beautiful, unusual book. A combination of photos and stories of his stark garden in the shingle of Dungeness, with thoughts, friends, and poetry about AIDS.
I'm not much for gardening, but this book was in a holiday home in Dungeness, in sight of Prospect Cottage, so I picked it up idly and then couldn't put it down.