40 Gates

The Reford Gardens/Jardins de Métis are recognized as one of Canada’s outstanding horticultural attractions. They were created between 1926 and 1958 by gardener Elsie Reford. Every year, the Gardens host the International Garden Festival. ’40 Gates’ is an architectural installation, created for the festival, and is designed as a garden: it creates a symbiosis between a static place and a dynamic path.

By placing the gates in radian, a circular space with a diameter of 10 meters is created in the center. The opening of the gates creates the path. Every gate has a width of 5 meters and a height of 2,75 meters. The width of the openings changes: the path sometimes will be a narrow passage accessible for only one person and sometimes a wider space where people can gather. The gates are constructed out of 4mm thick reflective stainless steel plates.