Gardens as Cosmic Terrains

Heidi Lau became Green-Wood’s first-ever artist in residence in 2021 and her installation in the Catacombs was a culmination of a year-long exploration of the Cemetery. Her highly textured work in clay, draws on themes of genealogy, ritual, and the posthuman, with sources that include Taoist mythology, burial customs, and the built-environment of Macau (where she spent her formative years).

Gardens as Cosmic Terrains was influenced by Lau’s research into the cosmological setting within Chinese gardens, where the arrangement of arches, pathways, and vistas acts as a metaphor for time, space, and matter—as well as a portal to access both memories and the spirit world. 

To learn more, watch the video below.