Garden Of Sensation & Sensuality

'Sant Joan de Deu' is a new and unusual garden, situated in Almacelles, Spain. It's the only one of it's kind so far in this country, opened up in 2009. It was 'invented' and 'put together' specially to offer the intellectually incapacitated people the opportunity to wake up, develop, and enjoy the sensations of nature, by sight, sound, feel and touch, through colours, texture and aroma. These senses stimulate memory, feelings of pleasure and well being of the 350 severely incapacitated people already. Most of them showed great desire to revisit the garden.

The many different inebriating aromas, the creaking of wood chips under the feet, an obligatory path to walk over small pebbles, stepping on a short passage of gravel. the relief when sinking the feet in fine sand, or the refreshing trickle of water on their hands ... are some of the concentrated sensations in this garden designed with the sole purpose of helping these special people to experience all the sensations the sighted take for granted, and thus missed, by many. The garden serves, therefore, as a time machine, to recall past memories, connecting the scent and touch with other times and other experiences.

The visitors are encouraged to smell and to touch with their hands the flowers, plants, grass and trees, as well as other structural materials: walls, floors, passage ways, stones ... Quite a contrast to the conventional gardens with the 'Don't touch' signs everywhere. All the plants are specially selected with thick, sturdy and strong stems, none bears thorns naturally, as some of the disability include blindness and deafness. It seems that the scent and aroma factor is the most influential in the association with these people's infancy or certain period of the past, in connection with their present life.

There is also an area specially designed for people in wheelchairs; Many areas are with soothing background music too, for calming effect and listening pleasure.

A wonderful garden for anyone I think, not just the underprivileged. I would certainly love to visit.

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