A Garden for George: Chelsea Flower Show Mosaic

Chelsea Flower Show, London

2008

'From Life To Life' is a Venetian smalti mosaic in memory of George Harrison, made by Brian in collaboration with Olivia Harrison as part of her garden for the Royal Horticultural Society's 2008 Chelsea Flower Show. "For the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2008, Brian Clarke designed a site-specific mosaic for the garden conceived and designed by Yvonne Innes and Olivia Harrison in memory of former Beatle George Harrison, a long-time friend of Clarke's. A sinuous, polychromatic mosaic path, fabricated using traditional Roman techniques and comprised of hand-cut, Venetian glass smalti, winds through the garden and reflects the various stages of George Harrison's life, from Liverpool to enlightenment. The garden was awarded the RHS Silver Gilt medal." Covering a total of 30 square metres, Brian's mosaic depicts Liverpool waterfront's Three Graces – the Royal Liver Building, Cunard, and Port of Liverpool Building – and moves through a series of level changes as a flow of colour, mimicking the liquid colour of Brian's signature watercolours as it progresses through the four phases conceived by Olivia Harrison and Yvonne Innes: the 'Liverpool' garden, the 'psychedelic 60s' garden – described by Yvonne as "representing George’s youth and the Beatle years. Brian’s path at this stage is a riot of colour, closely matched by the planting – a heady mix of colour, texture, form and foliage", paired with a glass mosaic sun – through to the 'contemplative' and 'afterlife' gardens.