name: orchid show | natural heritage

in collaboration with: studio lily kwong

services provided: design research

location: new york botanical garden (bronx)

year: 2023

in it’s 20th year anniversary, the orchid show at the new york botanical garden invited its first woman and person of color, lily kwong, as the guest landscape artist. lily brought me on to support her deep dive into the world of orchids. intent on speaking to her asian roots, lily had me look into the orchids and their cultural relevance in china and other parts of asia and the world.

the language and symbolism surrounding orchids is significant. cultivated from deep chinese mountain valleys for over 2,000 years, orchids are revered for their elegance and delicate fragrance. they represent both female beauty and masculine virtue and are associated with integrity, humility, nobility, and self-restraint — all the markers of what chinese philosopher confucius believed to be the qualities of a perfect gentleman.

drawing on principles of chinese garden design, orchids and chinese culture & spirituality, as well as their biological evolutions, i presented five themes for studio lily kwong’s consideration with visual references to aid the artist and her team in their creative process: refinement & quietude; femininity & sexuality; masculine virtue; femininity of botany; and co-evolution & balance. i also got a spend a day on site with the team pre-install to discuss spatial configurations.