Grotto is a Baroque folly, a screen, a cave, a grave and a functional pavilion. The pavilion’s kitchen and furniture have been done by Netherlands-based designer Olav Koreman. The pavilion’s design was commissioned by Fundament Foundation for De Oude Warande.
In order to respect the Baroque design of the garden, the pavilion had to be placed at the center, the only spot from where the star-shaped pattern of the paths can be seen. But this would have destroyed the view of the star design. This dilemma was resolved by the designer Morton, who created an invisible pavilion.
The entire exterior of the structure has been made out of mirror, making it unapparent. The mirrors also make all the eight paths of the star appear in the reflection. The exterior of the pavilion functions both as a façade-screening off the inside from the outside, and as a reflective screen, mirroring and continuing the outside world.
The pavilion measures 10m x 6m x 4m high and is confronted with another essential characteristic of Baroque garden designs. The interior is a cave-like space, sunk 75 centimeters below ground level. Walls have holes at eye level, through which the outside world can be seen, as the glass façade is made of two-way mirrors.
In the evening, the interior is illuminated in such a way that the reflective function of the pavilion is cancelled out and the glass box makes place for a dark mound, reminiscent of a burial mound. This transformation takes place gradually as darkness falls, so that the pavilion not only has a constantly changing form but alternate meanings too.
