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Le Parc Jean-Jacques Rousseau : jardin des lumières riche en enseignements pour le 21e siècle by Vincent LAHACHE – Château de Bénouville
The Parc Jean-Jacques Rousseau: a garden of light offering many lessons for the 21st century
The gardens of Ermenonville are a major reference in garden art. These picturesque gardens have marked a major page in the history of landscape as they have marked a major change in ideas, remaining of novel design in this early 21st century. Developed over 60 hectares, they are intimately linked with the arts and develop a new conception of landscape. As one strolls through them, one encounters a succession of idyllic settings where nature is celebrated as a wild element. The proposed routes are journeys that arouse both the senses and the spirit. The visitor discovers a new relationship with nature and with the various elements it comprises. In doing so, he rethinks the society in which “all languages are accepted and all men are friends”. A premature lesson in “humanistic ecology” that nourishes our thoughts on the garden, the landscape, the world…
Vincent Lahache
After a career in modern dance, in 2008 he obtained the title of qualified DPLG landscaper after four years’ study at the ENSP (National Graduate School of Landscape) in Versailles. Since 2013, he is in charge of landscaped areas in the Parc Jean Jacques Rousseau in Ermenonville (60), a picturesque park founded in 1764 and owned by the Oise Council. He regularly speaks at conferences or workshops focusing on gardens, landscapes and the arts (ENSP Versailles, Abbaye de Royaumont, Théâtre de l’Usine in Geneva, Horta Labyrinth Park in Barcelona…). In 2007, along with Frédéric Seguette, he founded the Plastique Danse Flore festival which he has since continued to promote and of which he remains vice president. The festival offers a medley of dance, visual and performing arts and landscape and is held within the Potager du Roi (the King’s kitchen garden) in Versailles. From 2009 to 2012, he was in charge of the Jardins Passagers in the Parc de La Villette.