Kokedama Forest by Nomad Studio at the 2021 Philadelphia Flower Show

This miniature sculptural woodland by award-winning landscape architecture and design workshop Nomad Studio is made up of more than 1,200 kokedamas nested within an inverted dome.

The Philadelphia Flower Show, the most reputed horticulture and gardening event held in the United States that, will be hosted outdoors at FDR Park in Philadelphia for the first time in its 193 years of history.

Kokedama Forest is a 1,000 square-foot miniature sculptural forest consisting of more than 1,200 forestry seedling kokedamas nested within an inverted dome carved out from a fragile and intricate metal network. Acting as a green amphitheater, the visitor is both a spectator and a protagonist which is simultaneously embraced by its peaceful parlance and invited to actively question her/his role at the center of that symbolic arena. Guests are welcomed to enter the micro-woodland and be surrounded by the levitating kokedamas: hundreds of seedlings proudly displaying their intimate relationship with soil supported by a 7.5-foot high three-dimensional metal structure. This assemblage is woven with steel inviting the contradictory blend of strength and delicacy that is implicit in all living networks.

With Kokedama Forest, Nomad Studio presents a visual reflection upon the hidden importance of soil dwellers and how their indissoluble partnership with plants creates a suitable habitat for all of us. Soil is one of the key habitats of the planet which too often is undervalued despite being indispensable.

About Nomad Studio

Nomad Studio, founded in 2009 by Spanish landscape architect Laura Santín and William E. Roberts, is an internationally awarded creative workshop devoted to innovative site-specific projects. Its work explores the interaction between art and landscape and its influence on society and environment. In recent years they have carried out several ephemeral installations such as Green Varnish and Green Air at the Contemporary Art Museum of Saint Louis, MO and Tree of Knowledge at Villa Erba on the shores of Lake Como in Italy.