Garden of Azure
On the night of the explosion, an eerie blue light, later known as the Cherenkov Radiation, was glowing like a magical but cursed cloud in the dark. For those citizens who live on and around the Chernobyl campus, this unforgettable glow has put a stamp of death on their lives. For those who survived, the glow has become part of their memory. For those who have only heard the tragic story, the glow has become a symbolic presentation of spookiness and horror.
In the project of GARDEN OF AZURE, native wildflowers of different shades of blue are planted in an attempt to heal from the traumatization associated with the color blue. From the present abundance of wildlife and vegetation on the campus, nature has demonstrated its power of restoring and healing. The proposed meadow blooms from early Spring to late Autumn. The hope is to reinforce the rebirth of Chernobyl with those sparkling blue flowers and to cultivate a new meaning of the color blue.
Three structures in the form of scaffolding towers are placed throughout the site. The locations are curated so people can see the major elements of the campus: 1. The radiation plant which is now covered with a mega structure; 2. The wetland system that presents both ecological and manmade power; 3. The vast forest which is the source of the study of “red forest”, a phenomenon in forest from the radiation effect; 4. And finally, the massive Duga radar that stands in the far. Inspired by the Duga radar, the project employs the scaffolding structures to give a sense of ongoing process. As the meadow will grow and evolve, so will the reconstruction of the campus. The scaffolding towers here, in the unfinished form, invite future possibilities and imaginations to sprout on site.
The three layers of the project, the meadow, the circulation, and the scaffolding towers not only serve the tourist visitors, but also the horticultural science experts. The site can also function as a test field and observation station for the campus and its surrounding forests. The study of the reviving vegetation on the campus becomes a critical perspective in understanding this particular tragedy, but also our overall destiny on this planet.
