Pure Imagination

"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men."

At first my idea was just a centrally-located super park...but since our ideas are supposed to be without the constraints of time, money, or any other sort of practicality I revised it to a centrally-located gastronomically pleasing wonderland; a lush jungle full of flowers, candy, trees, and pizza. An aesthetically enjoyable fantastyland called Gum Drop Gardens!

My inspiration for this proposal was the colorful and tasty and fun. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, written by Roald Dahl and first brought to the big screen by Mel Stuart, was a major influence. The board game “Candyland” was also in the back of my mind when coming up with this park. Lastly, the stereotype of Holland and the beautiful flower farms located there are a real-life inspiration. I think this installation would appeal to a very broad audience. Children and adults alike could enjoy it for its beauty and the escapism it provides. Too many pieces are for a small audience only, and many times they are intended for an educated, adult audience, I would like something that pleases a more general group.

The materials could be pretty varied, but some aspects are necessary. It would need an evergreen grass of some kind, so that it is perma-appealing to picnic and frolic in. This would probably also require an irrigation system due to our hellish weather. It would be lovely if some genius could develop a water recycling program for the park so that it is not constantly wasting water. Other than that it needs a variety of plants, candies, food, and trees. Large candy mushrooms are a must as are edible buttercups. There is a large variety of flowers that are perfectly safe to eat (though they not necessarily tasty) so I would like them to be in the park as well. I would like it to have rolling hills similar to the ones Maya Lin installed at the University of Michigan.

The location is somewhat flexible but it would need to be in the central part of town and accessible by public transportation so that it is welcoming to everyone. I really like the idea of living art in urban settings and I wish we had more of it in Austin. The area around 5th and Lamar is my idea of central and a great location. It would also be nice to put it on water, in which case Lady Bird Lake would be an excellent site. Replacing a strip mall or high rise with a community garden is a nice idea too. So it may never happen, and nutritionists may hate it, but at least it will live on in a blog post for a GenEd class.

"Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-uV72pQKI

-Hannah