Les Jardins d’Étretat
IL Nature as Landscape Architects
In 2016, Alexandre Grivko transformed Thébault’s former estate into Les Jardins d’Étretat—a public garden that hosts both permanent and temporary collections of sculpture by international artists. The merit of this project lies in a harmonious coexistence of the old historical garden with contemporary architectural aesthetic ideas, eventually resulting in a neo-futuristic vision of the garden.
New styles and old conglomerates began to merge, in order to create, through improved lines and forms, a more comfortable space within gardens with sculpted trimmed plants. Due to this evolving search, a new special paradigm has emerged - the philosophy of parametric architecture that incorporated the denial of generally accepted static forms and exploration of new ones, as well as their subsequent modification with aid of computer technologies. Thus, parametric or motion architecture was born – the style that changed our notions about classical garden or other objects of architectural design.
The landscape architect of the gardens Alexander Grivko (Il Nature), while creating Les Jardins d’Etretat, has taken inspiration from several directions in art: the classic idea of French gardens, and the concept of avant-garde and minimalism. However, neofuturism has become the main stylistic trend, here it reflects the idea of the unity of man and nature, developing together, respecting the boundaries of each other.
The creative garden laboratory of Les Jardins d’Etretat carried out experiments in detailed modeling of trimmed plants and their geometric diversity. It also experimented with the arrangement of space in the style of comfortable minimalism.
Temporary exhibitions of contemporary sculpture coincide with annual summer season launches at Les Jardins d’Etretat and called Double Jeu. The major goal of these exhibitions is to develop a social, natural and artistic milieu aimed to stimulate creativity, improve ethical values, preserve the environment and protect historical and cultural heritage.