SPACE July 2026 (No. 704)
Image courtesy of Pezo von Ellrichshausen
Image courtesy of Pezo von Ellrichshausen
Surrounded by a dark forest, this sculptural fountain is meant to function as a symbolic means of welcoming and bidding farewell to visitors to the humanities at Les Jardins de Médongaule. The circular plan of the POND dissolves into the surroundings through a regular grid of stainless-steel columns. Such non-directional figuration is contained within a 40m square plinth, which suggests a reciprocity between part and whole, world and universe. The square is constructed as an inclined, monolithic black stone plinth. Its size and position within the landscape allows for a reversal of perspective: upon arrival, the pond is barely visible behind a sequence of steps that makes the water cascade down towards our feet; upon departure, we look down towards the valley, facing planes of still water barely separated by infinity edges. From a literal to a metaphoric rise and fall of our vanishing point, this double condition is framed by a regular field of columns with a progressive variation of their height (from 0.4 to 4m). These cylinders are organised in a rather indifferent grid formation, allowing for a frontal, transversal and diagonal transparency, casting a diverse range of shadows and sparkles of light from their polished surfaces. Indeed, the POND can be read as an interior space, as a big hypostyle room that is eventually covered by a dense cloud, with variations of mist or fog, formed by a sophisticated water device integrated within the capital of every column.
Pezo von Ellrichshausen (Mauricio Pezo, Sofía von Ellrichshausen)
Olga Herrenbruck, Torun Stjern, Simon Bohnet, Amelie Bes
Médongaule Contemporary Gardens, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
permanent pavilion (fountain)
3,200m²
1,600m²
Chang Minwoo Structural Consultants
Mac & MEC, Inkok Enc, Rainbow Scape Co., Ltd.
C&O Engineering & Constructions
Les Jardins de Médongaule
Guillaume Gosse de Gorre, Design LHYn
2019 – 2026
See Architects
stone, stainless steel
They live and work in southern Chile, in a farm at the foot of the Andes Mountains.
