We restore the modernist benches in the Invisible Garden

Restoration work on the nine modernist benches that form part of the architectural ensemble of the Invisible Garden, carried out with funding from the Government of Catalonia's Ministry of Culture, has concluded successfully.

On 31 January, representatives of the Centre for the Restoration of Movable Cultural Heritage of Catalonia (CRBMC) and the Ministry of Culture's Architectural Heritage Service, together with representatives of the Arcovaleno conservation and restoration company and the group of architects and surveyors involved in the restoration process met with the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu General Services and Solidarity teams to assess the final results of the work and agree on the next steps to be taken.

When restoration work began, in mid-summer last year, the nine modernist benches, coated with brightly coloured trencadís and with a variety of decorative designs, were in a sorry state, although preliminary restoration work had already been carried out in 2011, directed by architect David Agulló, to prevent the complex from deteriorating further.

Agulló is also the author of the theory that attributes the modernist architectural ensemble of the Invisible Garden to Antoni Gaudí. Built between 1906 and 1912, it consists of The Grotto (1906), the Chapel of the Virgin Mary (1911) and this set of benches that would supposedly be a precursor of the serpentine bench in Park Güell, since they were built previously (one has an inscription dated 1912). Agulló believes that the Invisible Garden was a test bench for some of Gaudí's most iconic projects, such as the Sagrada Família and the crypt in Colònia Güell.

A restoration project that has kept the original benches

Work on the modernist benches has taken nearly six months in accordance with the archaeological criterion of restoring the original structure and design of the benches. This has allowed us to identify areas where the trencadís was missing, and replace it with volumetric reconstructions consisting of an internal structure of fibreglass and epoxy resin, which provides stability. Repair work has also been carried out on the mosaic fragments that were degraded or damaged. These were removed, restored and replaced.

Restoration work has also affected the area behind the benches, where tests have been carried out, consisting of removing all the soil and roots to leave a space between the back of the bench and the surrounding garden, in order to study a future drainage system which will prevent water stagnation and direct contact between the soil and the bench.

Work will conclude with the restoration of the Grotto

During the last project assessment visit it was concluded that, for the time being, the benches will remain covered as a protective measure and the area where the Invisible Garden is located will remain closed until the garden is properly landscaped.

It was agreed that in the next phase work would be done on the grotto, which urgently needs restoration, as some of its elements have seriously deteriorated with the passing of time, although in recent years cement has been used to seal the cracks that have appeared, stainless steel rods have been added and part of the structure is propped up to steady it. These measures would also need to be reviewed to determine whether they are compatible with the project's objective of restoring the original structure.

The Invisible Garden and the Torrents d'Art project

The recovery of the Invisible Garden is part of the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu strategy of making the contribution of art and culture to health visible, and relates directly to the work carried out by Torrents d'Art, an inclusive, community-based, and non-stigmatising programme where people work together on creative art projects, whether or not they suffer from mental disorders.

Given the characteristics of this modernist complex, it has been suggested that patients residing in the old Sant Boi psychiatric hospital (located in the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu) would have participated in the construction of the Invisible Garden, following the guidelines of a complex project devised by Antoni Gaudí.

This is because the old psychiatric hospital in Sant Boi was one of the first institutions to study occupational therapy, a movement originating in Europe, which consisted of using work as a tool to treat people with mental health problems. There were workshops where patients learned bricklaying and were thus able to participate in building work done at the centre.

The restoration of the Invisible Garden reflects the legacy of Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu and the mission of Torrents d'Art, which seeks to improve the quality of life of people with mental disorders through inclusive community creative projects.