Wonder Holland

Wonder Holland was a temporary installation in Rome's Trajan's Market in 2004, sponsored by the Dutch Embassy and organized by Outdoor Project Italy, according to this Philips case study page where the below images were found.



West 8's intervention in the ancient market consisted of a raised steel container painted white and planted with grass, a "flat, virgin carpet of fresh Dutch greenness," according to the architects, as found in the recent book Living Systems. Holes in the steel allow ruins to poke through the grass plane. Red lighting underneath the plane accentuates its "floatability" and makes it stand out at night.



Unfortunately the project isn't featured on West 8's web page, so the design intent (outside the virgin carpet quote) isn't clear. I'm guessing the designers were inspired by the requirement that their installation not touch any of the ruins, perhaps taking it as a cue to make it as removed as possible. Also it would have been quite a site to walk by and see somebody mowing the lawn in Trajan's market!