Lee Broom Creates An 18th Century ‘Pleasure Garden’ In An Australian Car Park

Titled ‘Park Life’, the exhibition places a literal white box within a concrete space usually reserved for vehicles. Inside this polycarbonate construction are over 100 pieces of work from the renowned product designer, situated in clusters alongside classical busts and statues. Described as a meandering maze, the transformation of this industrial space for the exhibition was inspired by English pleasure gardens. Prolific in London during the 18th and 19th century, often housing concert halls and tea houses, these gardens were spaces for socializing and the arts. Similarly, Broom’s ‘Park Life’ takes guests on what he describes as “a poetic journey of discovery through hidden passageways, with tableaus and vignettes”. Designed to disorient, the maze-like configuration of rooms are linked by secret doors and passages—allowing visitors the chance to explore the space while delighting in art and design.