Stone Plant Sculpture Munus Primarium: Sculptura Hortensis by Udo Hubert Dagenbach

Stone Plant Sculpture Munus Primarium: Sculptura Hortensis by Udo Hubert Dagenbach is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2017 Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum in Supellex Viae Competition Category.

ArgentumSupellex Viae· 2017

Stone Plant Sculpture Munus Primarium: Sculptura Hortensis

by Udo Hubert Dagenbach

Client: Glasser and Dagenbach

Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum Winner in Supellex Viae Category

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The Design

About Stone Plant Sculpture Munus Primarium: Sculptura Hortensis

Textus Libri: Sculptura Lapidea Plantae hortus minimalis est, cubi forma effectus, centimetra 130 per 130 per 130 metiens. Dimidia pars est massa calcis Iurassici, in lapicidina Germaniae australis excisa. Superficies lapidis conspicuae scalpro caesae et scopis tersae sunt, ut species vetusta praebeatur. Altera dimidia pars ex quattuor plantis taxi constat, post satum ad magnitudinem finalem putatis. Linea fere diagonalis coniunctionem inter lapidem et plantam signat. Hoc opus interpretatio Europaea hortorum Zen Iaponicorum est. Cubus in prato plano stat et curam minimam requirit.

The Recognition

About the Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum

Stone Plant Sculpture Munus Primarium: Sculptura Hortensis victor est Praemii A' Design Award Argenteum, honoris eximie amplissimi formis summi generis, pulchris et conspicuis dati. Victores Argenti opera valde splendida et creandi ingenio praedita sunt, quae praestantem peritiam, talentum et acumen auctorum suorum ostendunt. Exspectatur Stone Plant Sculpture Munus Primarium: Sculptura Hortensis opus mirabile, exemplare, valde professionale et penitus novum fore. Haec forma Argento victa inventum notabile et admiratum est, quod ad fines artis, scientiae, formandi rationis et technologiae promovendos confert. Stone Plant Sculpture Munus Primarium: Sculptura Hortensis creatio est, quam multi invident, quae cupiditates excitat, sensus bonos affert et admirationem miraculumque movet.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Two companies asked for a series of gardens, objects which show the possibilties combining their products. Jurrasic limestones and plants. So we created the idea for the most minimalistic garden, a european interpretation of Japanese Zen Gardens. Forming a cube with a pruned yew and a limestone. The joint between both is defined by an almost diagonal line through the cube.
Two materials - plant and stone - a simple shape.
Dimensions & Packaging: The stone plant sculpture forms a cube of 130 x130 x 130 cm. It consists of Lime stone and Yew hedge plants which are planted close to the stone to form the intended cube together. The stone is placed on a concrete foundation.
Tags: minimal garden, minimalistic garden, garden sculpture, cube garden, plant stone, land art, minimal art, jurrasic marble, limestone, yew
Production Technology: One part of the garden cube is produced from a piece of Jurrasic marble, also called limestone. It was produced in a South German Quarry of the Franken Schotter Company. It was cut out of a raw block. The standing side and the side facing the plants are diamond saw cut. The visible surfaces are chisselled and brushed, what gives it a aged look. The other half is planted from four Taxus baccata, yew, from Bruns Nursery which have been properly pruned to the final size after planting.
Design Challenge: It was a challenge not to choose a solution which looked too natural and showed expectable designs. So we have struggled to be maximum minimalistic, showing a clear, simple solution that immediately could be understood by the international guests of the nursery and the United World College. To do less than could be possible is the most challenging step. Our fear that strong frosts could cool down the stone so much that the plants will be harmed and killed by it did not come true even in the high mountains of Armenia
Research: The request of two companies to do a work with the products they produce needed a research on similar projects. We found that doing this in a expectable and already common way would not give a good impression. So we found that the solution should be reduced to message they want to tell their clients with this action: "Our products fit together very well". By keeping it simple the impression is stronger.
Inspiration: Since long time I searched for a European equivalent of Japanese Garden designs. Finally the minimalistic ideas of the Bauhaus period gave a hint what could be possible. The suggested project is one out of a series of projects which we have done in this way. Whilst Japanese Gardens often use the scale 1:3 to reflect a real landscape in a new and abstract way, this project does not reflect any landscape and does not use any scale. It is the maximum reduction of a garden ending up as a sculpture.
Project Duration: The project started in 2002 as a joint venture between the Franken Schotter Quarry and the Bruns nursery. After its realization in 2003 it stood in Bad Zwischenahn, North Germany, in front of the adminitrative office of Bruns Nursery. In 2015 the project was moved to The United World College in Dilijan Armenia, where it is installed now permanently at the Prince of Wales avenue.
Operation Flow: The garden cube needs low maintenance. The hedges should be properly pruned 3 times a year to show a perfect impression.
The stone needs a yearly cleaning with simple water by using a high pressure cleaner. The placement on a flat piece of lawn is essential to make it work visualy.
Patents: all copyrights belong to Udo Dagenbach, glasser and dagenbach, 2006
Team Members: Draftswoman: Katrin Weincke
Installation: Bruns Nursery
Stone works: Franken Schotter Quarries
Image Credits: Image #1 Udo Dagenbach, garden cube, 2007
Image #2 Udo Dagenbach, garden cube, 2007
Image #3 Udo Dagenbach, garden cube, 2007
Image #4 Udo Dagenbach, garden cube, 2007
Image #5 Udo Dagenbach, garden cube, 2007