Music and Gardens

As the AIDS plague took his friends one by one and he himself faced an increasingly uncertain future, English artist, filmmaker, and queer rights activist Derek Jarman discovered his own form of hope, resilience, and solace in his garden by the sea.

Long-time Soundstreams supporters Neil & Carolyn Turnbull have their own garden paradise, and we were fortunate enough to get a glimpse. Neil got his first real job as a sixteen-year old at a garden centre in Scarborough, and has since become a Design/Build Landscape Architect, who endeavours to create landscapes with strong connections to architecture, and enhancing the cultural and natural ecology of each project. Hedgerow Farm is currently their home, office, performance space, nursery, and playground.

Carolyn shared: “Gardening is important to us because it has literally been our lives. Now in his retirement, Neil enjoys it more than ever and our farm is becoming a park. Gardens are very personal. When you build a garden for a client it is their sprit that must be captured in the spaces and in the soil. Not unlike music, gardens can be formal and scripted or they can be free and wild. Both are rewarding and beautiful … both are uplifting, calming and often demanding. Neil as the landscape architect is the composer and conductor. It is a truly rewarding and gratifying career. We are delighted to be part of Garden of Vanished Pleasures.”

Below are some specially chosen photos they sent along! We are grateful for their support of Garden of Vanished Pleasures, and to our other many donors and supporters.

Bravo, Neil & Carolyn!