Attention restoration theory posits that just a few minutes of focusing on the ‘soft fascinations’ of the natural world can have tremendous power toward restoring our mental health. The simple, repetitive movements of environmental stimuli generates a feeling of awe and hypnotic delight in the human psyche. Rather than an austere moment of isolation, this garden proposal is composed of sinuous curves and playful shapes to draw in visitors of all ages to enjoy the simple pleasures of the magic outside.

Set on the edge of the white spruce forest, the fascination garden is an assemblage of typical garden materials—wood furnishing, gravel path, planting—meant to allow visitors to sit and contemplate a singular element of nature. The wood seating is crafted to direct visitors’ attention toward the passing clouds, the subtle wavering of the tree tops, the fluttering flowers of the blue grama grass. These moments of delight and wonder are a moment to escape, a moment of solitude, but in their accumulation a reminder that we are a part of a social garden ecosystem.