• City Gallery of Contemporary Art

PLATO

csen

garden of the present

Air quality in Ostrava:

Moderate

 

The Garden of Present is a green public space covering an area of 9,000 m2 around PLATO’s main seat, the heritage site of the former slaughterhouse.

The garden uses the ethical and practical principles of permaculture, i.e., its ecological and meaningful design. Vegetation planted includes eight old regional apple varieties, a flowerbed of perennials, medicinal herbs and weeds purposefully planted among them. We plan to plant mainly trees and bushes with edible fruits – hawthorn, shadbush, chokeberry, and Cornelian cherry – thus creating an edible garden for people and animals. The green area includes a naturally incorporated biotope for water animals and plants: irises, cattail, calthas, forget-me-nots, sweet flags, and water mint.

PLATO’s surroundings are grass areas mixed with meadows and patches of perennial meadow herbs, while the paths use threshing floors. In paved areas, original slag stones, kept for this purpose during the reconstruction, were used and incorporated into the gallery exterior. The area will also be equipped with street furniture, such as benches, and more vegetation is planned to be planted over time.

The garden was founded in autumn 2022.

  1. Photos
  2. Description
  3. Garden development

Garden in the process.

In Czech only.

04/2023: establishment of the garden development team, consisting of PLATO people and permaculture designer Denisa Tomášková, and the basic concept of the development.

06/2023: transfer of the garden by the owner of the land, which is the City of Ostrava, to the administration of PLATO

2024–2025: creation of basic exterior elements and structures, securing funding

2024–2029: the garden as a long-term theme of the institution (care, exhibitions, programme, education)

 

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Photo: Lukáš Kaboň, City of Ostrava
Photo: Dominika Goralska, PLATO, June 2023
Photo: Dominika Goralska, PLATO, June 2023
Photo: Dominika Goralska, PLATO, June 2023
Photo: Dominika Goralska, PLATO, April 2023
Photo: Dominika Goralska, PLATO, April 2023
Photo: Dominika Goralska, PLATO, April 2023
Photo: Dominika Goralska and Zuzana Šrámková, PLATO, September 2022
Photo: Dominika Goralska and Zuzana Šrámková, PLATO, September 2022
Photo: Dominika Goralska and Zuzana Šrámková, PLATO, September 2022
 
 

Authors: Tadeáš Goryczka, Robert Konieczny and KWK Promes, MS-projekce s.r.o.
Author of vegetation adjustments and permaculture elements: Denisa Tomášková
Collaboration: PLATO and MAPPA Ostrava (Městský ateliér prostorového plánování a architektury)
Investor: City of Ostrava
The garden was founded in autumn 2022.
It has been maintained by PLATO since June 2023.