Kokedamas

In the midst of the Palais de l’île’s old stones, living things suddenly emerge! Like a light green cloud above our heads, a miraculous garden floats. Judith Dumez’s and Elisha Joho Monnerat’s kokedamas—small, autonomous ecosystems—liven up the old walls.

Full of Japanese subtlety, kokedama is an artform that puts plants center stage, enhancing them by delicately wrapping their roots in spheres of moss. In this installation, contrast and dialogue are everything: the structure’s modern materials contrast with the ancient walls, its rigidity contrasts with the plants’ fluidity, the spheres contrast with the square, and the live plants pay homage to the past. Like so many little hot air balloons ready to take off, this cloud of kokedamas, this constantly changing lightweight forest, is a poetic invitation to look up and take a quiet moment to contemplate.

Born in 1970 and 1971, Judith Dumez and Elisha Joho Monnerat live and work in Lausanne (Switzerland).

A designer, interior designer and visual artist, Judith Dumez designs spaces and installations for institutions and individuals. She also teaches stress management and runs creative-potential workshops.

Elisha Joho Monnerat is an architect, iconographer and visual artist. She taught color theory and led workshops in architecture schools for more than 10 years. In her artwork she explores attention and presence through the act of creating, transcendence, and a sense of the sacred.

Winners of the 2019 Lausanne jardins with Kokedamas.