A dream in seven phases for the generalization of the concept

During his professional career, Gilles Clement has introduced and applied four distinct ideas and concepts on landscapes and ways to intervene in them. The concept of Gardens of Resistance is his most recent idea and a result of his activities over the past several years. The following is a translation of Gilles Clement’s article titled “Les jardins de résistance”in which he has strived to introduce the concept of Gardens of Resistance. In this charter, Gilles Clement offers an epic and romantic description of his idea through a narrative compiled of seven acts. What Clement means by Gardens of Resistance is a multiple complex of spaces, which he describes as gardens acting as resistance points across the face of the earth to protect its natural and green resources against dangers facing humankind. He regards the intertwined and complex system resulting from this idea as a source of hope for the earth’s survival. In fact, through his theatrical histrionics, Clement attempts to picture the earth’s natural ecosystem pitted against capitalism and human greed. He outlines an effort to restore the human tradition of gardening and introduces gardens as points of resistance against the move to destroy natural resources and thus humankind. Remarkably, Clement stresses that these resistance points are separate entities. In fact, his proposed system is comprised of independent resistance points that finally form a unified whole in conjunction with his idea of Planetary Gardens.