Chelsea Show Garden Aims to Change People’s Perception of Islam
Making her Chelsea debut, Kamelia Bin Zaal will be the first Emirati landscape designer to appear at Chelsea and she is bringing her heritage to the forefront, the Telegraph reported.
The show garden, titled ‘The Beauty of Islam’, aims to meld modern and classic materials with planting from countries influenced by Arabic and Islamic culture. It is an ambitious attempt to bridge Middle Eastern and Western cultures.
Bin Zaal said, “In my family I have grown up seeing Islam as a religion of tolerance, peace, and love, with respect for humanity, and the world around us. I am continuously inspired by our heritage and wanted to creatively translate my interpretation of our peaceful religion and culture into a beautiful garden design.”
Besides changing the negative perceptions of Islam, the garden aims to reflect the diversity of the Islamic culture.
“I wanted to show how as a culture we have touched so many other societies and vice versa, from Europe to China and even Madagascar," Bin Zaal said.
Along with representing the Arabic and Islamic designs, the garden reflects other cultures.
"I think I’m more influenced by contemporary architecture and interiors from all over the world," Bin Zaal said.
Using plants from the Middle Eastern climate in Britain was a challenge facing the Islam garden.
“We are being practical and have backups just in case certain plants don’t look good or, for some reason, probably the weather, don’t make it at all,” she added.
