The garden Metal Untxia was designed by EMBT as part of the Bilbao Jardín 2011 event, an international competition of temporary urban gardens. Installed near the Guggenheim Museum, the garden was conceived as a playful and symbolic intervention, reflecting the Chinese zodiac sign for 2011: the Metal Rabbit.
The installation appeared from a distance as a colorful rabbit, visible from the Puente de La Salve, creating a visual dialogue with Jeff Koons’ “Puppy” and Louise Bourgeois’ “Spider.” The design sought to reproduce the atmospheric quality of Chinese landscape paintings through an artificial yet natural-feeling setting.
Materials were selected for their tactile, organic qualities; wood, stone, and grass to foster a sensory connection with nature. Visitors could experience textures underfoot and in hand, evoking a return to nature. A bamboo fence, inspired by traditional Chinese enclosures, offered partial enclosure and mystery, with vegetation interwoven through the vertical canes.
Birdsong, vibrant color, and layered spatial composition transformed the small plot into a serene, immersive environment. Though ephemeral, Metal Untxia left a lasting impression as a poetic landscape experiment in the heart of the city.
