Respiration

“Respiration” could be the title of a dance piece. In fact, as a form of expression, garden art is closely linked to movement. The plants are the actors, and the gardeners and landscape architects create the conditions for their growth—they use their knowledge of the plants’ forms, density, colors, and social nature to compose the garden. They interpret light, shade, soil, and water to determine locations and create suitable conditions for growth. The garden begins as soon as the gardeners step back and is in a state of constant, dynamic change. But how does one exhibit gardens or parks whose essence lies not in the finished image but in the process?

One possible answer to this question is provided by the exhibition “Respiration,” which was on view for a year at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin in 2024/25. It showcases projects that atelier le balto has designed, planned, and implemented over the past 25 years. Rather than highlighting individual locations, the focus is on their elements: trees and flower beds, shadows, surfaces, and structures appear as planes, lines, and fleeting points, forming the grammar of the landscape. The boundaries between the projects blur; individual gardens and parks recede into the background, merging into a single, large-scale work.

Opening: September 15, 2026, 7 p.m.

Accompanying Program:
October 6, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
Tour of Bernhardusplatz with Rolf Basse, Karlsruhe Parks and Recreation Department
October 27, 2026, 7 p.m.
Presentation by Studio VlayStreeruwitz and atelier le balto on their winning entry, “Plateaugarten,” in the ideas competition for the future Rosenstein Quarter in Stuttgart