Landscapes of Representation. Creating National Gardens Abroad

Gardens are not innocent creations. They are "aesthetic objects" in that they stimulate a sensual and emotional experience, but at the same time they are "symbolic objects", because they come out of the physical transformation of a place and are therefore a cultural expression. They produce a variety of meanings and messages, incorporating strategies of representation. Gardens assemble signs into a semiotic structure which generates a complex narrative, whose meaning goes well beyond aesthetic and sensorial pleasure, in some cases becoming the principal aim of the garden itself. This phenomenon is quite evident in a category of gardens born of an ideological agenda: national gardens abroad. National gardens abroad were first created by communities of European expatriates in the centuries of colonialism. Today they tend to be promoted by communities of emigrants in their adopted lands. These gardens are characterized by the reinvention of stylistic forms to adapt the green spaces to contexts far different from their original home, engendering meaning by concentrating a few simple forms set forth in an accessible and theatrical manner. This paper is an exploration of how national gardens abroad work as a cultural practice within particular historical and geographical contexts.