The Sydney-based landscape practice founded by Robert Champion is named Tarn, a traditional term for a small lake in the mountains. It reminds him of his childhood, hiking in the New Zealand bush. It also reflects his belief in natural landscapes as key sources of inspiration — both ecological and aesthetic. He’s also drawn to what he calls ‘vernacular landscapes’ — spaces which are not designed by professionals and reflect cultural traditions that are often taken for granted.
With no formal landscape training, Robert says he feels something of an outsider within the landscape profession. He is drawn to what he calls ‘vernacular landscapes’ — spaces which are not designed by professionals that reflect cultural traditions that are often taken for granted.
Tarn’s work typically centres on residential gardens, which Robert uses as a testing ground for underused native and exotic plants, local and salvaged materials and atypical approaches to garden-making. ‘I’m really trying to promote and use plants that are not used so commonly in garden designs in the city,’ he told Landscape Australia. ‘Plants that show people that there is this amazing range in the native flora of Sydney.’
In partnership with three other small design practices, Tarn is currently co-leading the design of the National Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery in Canberra. The ambitious project aims to repair, revitalise, enrich and expand an important and much-loved public garden.
