Upon entering the glasshouse, you are suddenly transported to the stunning gardens of Peru, where the ceiling of leaves and orchids hangs above you, and sculptures of insects and birds hang around with you. The Royal Botanical Gardens have created an immersive experience, playing traditional Peruvian music as you walk through the big aloe leaves, sounds of birds chirping in the background, and the sweet aroma of the orchids drifting throughout.
Kew celebrates the biodiversity of Peru and its beautiful orchids in the different ways it has them displayed, whether hung in baskets, woven into arch entryways, cascading down from above, or sitting in pots on the ground. You are completely surrounded by the colours of summer. It certainly does feel like you should be prancing around in sandals and your light cotton shirt with an iced tea in hand as you listen to the sound of the waterfalls.
Many of the orchids on display have been purchased from nurseries in the Netherlands, sourced from Peru through trading, alongside Kew’s own collection of home-grown orchids. You’ll be lucky to see many of Peru’s diverse and sacred plants, such as the Phragmipedium Kovachii, considered to be one of the most beautiful orchids in Peru. As well as that, you’ll have the opportunity to see endangered plants like the Puya Raimondii. You can also expect to watch a short film, Botanica Extrema, Extreme Beauty, where Kew scientists Justin Moat, Carolina Tocar, and Oliver Whaley travel to Peru to discover that paramotoring proves to be an effective way of reaching inaccessible and delicate ecosystems.
The festival features many artworks by Peruvian artists that take inspiration and have been influenced by Peru’s incredible natural landscape. Gisella Stapleton’s paintings of ladies dancing the Tondero are inspired by the Oncidium Orchids (also known as dancing orchids) that are on display. The festival also includes a selection of photographs from Mariano Vivanco’s PERU: A visual journey collection. His classic editorial style can be seen in the large-scale photographs where he pays homage to his homeland, displaying its heritage and folklore. You are met with his photographs upon first entering the glasshouse, and throughout, surrounded by the plants. Vivanco’s photographs are intended to guide visitors through Peru’s history of its rich ancient civilisations to compare with the nature displays. You are provided with contextual information about these works and their relation to the festival.
The display ends with Vivanco’s Mother Earth, which encourages reflection on the different ways of expressing gratitude to our surroundings, inspired by the Pachamama ceremony, which is a ritual that honours Andean, the goddess of Mother Earth.
Kew succeeds in creating an immersive and captivating event that you definitely do not want to miss out on. They invite you to feel like you are really walking through Peru’s natural landscape, a lovely way to escape the winter blues and get you excited for the summer.
Review by Rim Alkaiat
Featured Image: Courtesy Kew Royal Botanical Gardens
Tickets: https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/kew-orchid-festival
