“Crafting a garden with an understanding of its contemporary aesthetic while envisioning how the space endures and evolves over decades is one of the joys of landscape architecture. The artist imagines how trees will mature, how communities will gather, and how landscapes will adapt to changing conditions.

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“Rowen represents landscape architecture in reverse: instead of designing the garden first, I am designing the decomposing vessel that will create the garden. The puppet’s materials, the timing of its planting in the earth—even the seasonal changes to its botanical exterior—each element is thoughtfully orchestrated so Rowen’s eventual burial initiates optimal growth. Rowen challenges fundamental assumptions about permanence in landscape design. Gardens normally outlive their designers, but Rowen Park will be born from the very character that championed its creation.”