STUDY DAY 2011 | THE GARDEN OF IDEAS 1 : THE GARDEN OF IDEAS | AN OVERVIEW: Finding and researching gardens with Richard Aitken

Gardens are repositories of ideas, but often their messages are muted or effaced through time and neglect. Understanding how to ‘read’ gardens - through an analysis of documentary research, an understanding of context, and the physical experience of reception - provides insights into this rich yet often overlooked cultural resource.

RICHARD AITKEN is a Melbourne-based architect, curator and historian. He has prepared conservation plans for many of Australia’s most significant historic gardens. His publications include The Garden of Ideas: four centuries of Australian Style (2010), Botanical Riches (2006), Seeds of Change (2006), Gardenesque (2004), and The Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens (2002).

This lecture was part of THE GARDEN OF IDEAS: STUDY DAY 1 convened by Christine Reid and held to coincide with THE GARDEN OF IDEAS | An Australian Garden History Society national touring exhibition.