WE are no strangers to the legendary art of Nek Chand Saini, a self-taught artist who sculpted an entire garden of fantasy from discarded glass, bangles, ceramic shards, and river stones — Chandigarh’s world-famous Rock Garden. This iconic monument of modern folk art has inspired an entire magical garden thousands of miles away in Philadelphia, USA.
Isaiah Zagar is one of Philadelphia’s most influential public artists.
Called the Magic Gardens, the arts centre was created by Isaiah Zagar, one of Philadelphia’s most influential public artists. On a visit to Rock Garden, Zagar was so taken in by the concept that back home in south Philadelphia, he decided to transform an abandoned space, filled with discarded products and trash, on the lines of the Rock Garden. For over 14 years, he worked painstakingly, turning that space into a sprawling labyrinth of mosaic courtyards, waterfalls, and secret gardens filled with figurines made of scrap. Zagar then invited Nek Chand to Philadelphia to show him his folk art museum, inspired by the Rock Garden — which Zagar dubbed as ‘Magic Gardens’. Nek Chand was so impressed with what he saw that he nicknamed the Gardens as ‘Sheesh Mahal’ or the ‘palace of mirrors’. As I had the good fortune to visit both the gardens, I couldn’t help but wonder how the Indian concept of jugaad had travelled across continents. Walking around in Magic Gardens, one can find old bicycle tyres, bits of tiles and cracked mirrors cleverly sculpted into rocks. The entire place is like a visual diary of sorts. There are self-portraits of Isaiah Zagar and his wife, Julia Zagar, their children and grandchildren too. Another fascinating aspect of this mosaic art — the mirrors are placed at such angles that the visitors can see their reflections change with the lights and angles against green, blue and white bottles. Similar to Rock Garden, the Magic Gardens is designed like a maze, with narrow passageways, small caves and unexpected courtyards where the visitors can’t predict where they’ll land up at the next turn. Both artists believed that art should be celebrated publicly. In Zagar’s words, “Art should not be segregated in museums: it needs to live free among us.” Nek Chand too believed in the same concept. It was this passion that came to their rescue in troubled times. Both men faced a threat that their work could be demolished. As per some claims, the Rock Garden was built on unauthorised land. The Magic Gardens, too, faced a similar threat as owners of the vacant lot wanted to sell it, but public admiration and its tourism potential ultimately helped secure the gardens’ survival. Each garden is also a repository of cultural stories. The Magical Gardens has many artefacts from Latin America, Mexico and Peru — owing to Philadelphia’s strong cultural connection to these places. South Philly, where the Magic Gardens is located, has a significant Mexican population. In Rock Garden, broken glass bangles have been used extensively — an accessory used by women every day as well as on special occasions across North India. Another element used in Rock Garden are river stones. Nek Chand often spoke about stones as living, breathing things. The stones held special importance for him because they connected the garden to the natural landscape that existed in Chandigarh before urbanisation. As Rajnish Walia of the Indian Institute of Architects (Punjab Chapter), says, “The purest form of architecture is where designs work with nature rather than against it. Both these men shared the same vision of celebrating public spaces sustainably and have inspired generations of architects to think the same way.” In an age defined by climate concerns and resource scarcity, the legacies of Nek Chand and Isaiah Zagar feel more relevant than ever. — The writer is a freelance contributor
