Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/641424
196 CULTURED shared with a wider audience in his newest book released by Merrell, "Luciano Giubbilei: The Art of Making Gardens." Unlike his previous publications, the book explores process rather than just showcasing a final product. The impact of his residency at Great Dixter is strongly felt, and Giubbilei shares how his time there influenced his aesthetic and focused his attention on the ethics of making gardens. Giubbilei speaks from a deeply personal place. He shares how light folding into leaves can spark ideas, the emotional charge of smells, how to locate the heart of a tree. The takeaway: Slow down and feel something. The book's thoughtful photographs—by the likes of Andrew Montgomery, Carl Bengtsson, Allan Pollok-Morris and Steven Wooster— complement Giubbilei's text as he takes us through the process of turning inspiration into plans and, ultimately, into a garden. He grounds a more sensory and philosophical conversation in his most recent gardens: London's Rosewood hotel and the Venice Biennale, among others. His designs are slow-cooked in local flavor. We learn that unlike many designers, he doesn't sequester himself in his London-based studio to develop a concept. "I visit the site and see a different world, a different lifestyle. I feel the atmosphere, the ocean, I observe how the sunlight falls on the grasses. And then I take all the photos and information and fly back to London to draw? From my perspective that's impossible." Giubbilei insists one becomes a totally different person from Sagaponack to London to Tuscany, both mentally and physically. He approaches his gardens like a sculptor and is present for much of the process, often spending up to three weeks on location, which includes drawing and researching plants. In an age that rarely allows for such a deep meditation, Giubbilei's gardens have a different resonance. As our interview winds down, Giubbilei poses a final question with a haunting sincerity: "If a creation doesn't have ethics, hasn't got meaning or doesn't touch your sensitivities, what is the point?" His question is a valid one, and we should take our time to answer it. In 2014, Giubbilei and sculptor Ursula von Rydingsvard collaborated on the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. PHOTO BY ANDREW MONTGOMERY