When describing nature, we often use the terms “Mother Earth” or “Mother Nature” and rightfully so. From our earliest stages our mothers provide protection, nourishment, and comfort. In the womb, a child relies on its mother for provision. Similarly, we rely on Mother Nature for all we need to survive.
However, like rebellious children defying a parent, we also neglect our original nurturer. Our lifestyles remove us from nature and obscure our dependence on the land. The Womb Garden invites visitors to reflect on our need for nature.
The garden austere façade is symbolic of our modern lives; barren, harsh, and often bleak. However, glimpses of greenery peeking above the exterior veil urge visitors to seek out the peaceful respite within. An arching path leads individuals into a small clearing surrounded by a dense envelop of vegetation. This lush cover of planting provides a space of serenity and reflection where individuals are allowed to be nurtured by nature and truly appreciate our place within the landscape. This is not a space to traverse or observe. It is a place to be restored and reminded of nature’s necessity.
The plants within the garden represent our global landscape, with vegetation arranged in zones corresponding the plant’s region of origin. Visitors are encouraged to consider the connectivity of our international ecologies and the beauty of earth’s botanic and cultural diversity.
The Womb Garden is an exploration of our connection to the natural world, and an invitation to realign our bodies and minds to a posture of reverence towards the environment. What we eat, what we drink, what we breathe, and what we build to sustain our lives is all a product of Mother Earth. The Womb Garden is an opportunity to return to our provider.
Thomas Brown is a landscape architect with 13 years of experience in the public and private sectors. Thomas has worked on various project types and scales, from district-wide master plans and corporate campuses to urban plazas and private gardens. His thoughtful approach to design and meticulous attention to detail has yielded beautiful, functional, and sustainable spaces across the world.
Thomas is a fervent follower of Jesus Christ, and his work is rooted in his faith. Thomas finds great inspiration in the first pages of Scripture which display an infinitely creative God who establishes a world flourishing with life and beauty. Creation is harmonious and thriving, and mankind is fashioned from the earth and charged with its care and cultivation. This is the position from which Thomas aims to design; to honor the divine gift of creativity, and to create spaces that encourage life to flourish.
