The competition explores the idea of 'weeds' not just as a resource, but also as a metaphor for resilience and transformation. Usually seen as useless or harmful, weeds actually play an important ecological role. The aim is to spark reflection on their potential — extending the concept into the social sphere as well. 'Weeds' can also be people, groups, or ideas that don’t follow the rules, but through their ability to adapt and persist, they end up transforming the very context they grow in.
The project idea stems from reflecting on the meaning often tied to weeds — something to be pulled out, tamed, contained, or controlled. The aim is to give weeds back the natural freedom they’re usually denied. This act of liberation takes shape through the overturning of pots, which have always been used as containers — and by nature, as barriers or dividing elements.
The overturned pots become openings — glimpses of the outside world and symbols of freedom.
Simple cube-shaped pots made of recycled and recyclable plastic, each measuring 40 x 40 x 40 cm, are arranged in a circle with a gradually shifting rotation angle. Solid, closed pots facing downward alternate with open, overturned ones — free exits for the weeds to grow through. Stacking five sets of these pots forms a kind of totem to freedom — a sculptural element animated by its own rotation and by the rhythm of solids and voids. The wild plants placed inside lean outward, free to spill over and keep growing.
The totem is placed on a bed of yellow wood sorrel.
The bed is designed as a circle to allow movement on all four sides and is positioned at the center of the existing flowerbeds, aligned with the main path leading into the Botanical Garden. The circular area, with a radius of 3.5 meters, covers about 40 square meters and consists of a fabric layer topped with fertilized soil, densely covered with wood sorrel.
This plant was chosen both for its bright yellow color — adding a bold splash to an otherwise soft, natural setting — and for its ability to grow in almost any soil, thanks to its invasive nature. Its symbolic meaning, linked to ‘rebirth’ and ‘the end of worries,’ further confirmed the choice.
Cascading rosemary spills out from the overturned cubes — fragrant and expressive.
The designed garden becomes a space to wander freely, a colorful carpet centered around a sculpture that celebrates the liberation of weeds, the act of letting go, of removing barriers, and refusing to contain or confine.
