Hanging Gardens of Babylon Bloom at Museum’s ArtAlive

It is doubtful that the words “the Pharoa’hz a Fink” were ever scrawled on the walls of the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the ancient world’s seven wonders.

But the gardens became the theme of John Baylin’s most recent project, which will be on display Tuesday through Thursday during San Diego Museum of Art’s annual floral and plant exhibit, “ArtAlive.”

Baylin, a San Diego artist who also owns his own catering service, began creating his concept of the architectural phenomenon last month. The structure uses 100 live flowering plants and trees and combines reality with fantasy and humor, he said.

Painted on the walls of the structure in acrylic paints are anachronistic and sometimes misspelled graffiti such as “The Pharoa’hz a Fink,” “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” and “I’ll meet you by the third pyramid,” taken from a song by new-wave rock group the B-52’s.

Baylin said he was inspired last year by British pop artist David Hockney’s interpretation of the hanging gardens, which was used as a set for a performance of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” After seeing pictures of the stage set, Baylin decided to research the ancient phenomenon and became excited by drawings he found in children’s books.

The hanging gardens of Babylon, built on the Euphrates in the 5th Century B.C., were a series of terraces connected by marble stairways planted with shrubs, trees and plants, which were watered by fountains fed from cisterns on the top level.

The Greeks said the structure was built by Semiramis, a legendary queen of Babylon, daughter of the goddess Derceto. Another legend claims that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon built the lush garden for his wife, Median Princess Amytis, who was lonely for the hills and trees of her country.

Baylin has incorporated his piece into the museum’s large, stately staircase. A two-story, 40-foot-long core on each side of the stairway supports a myriad of plants. Observers feel as if they are walking through the gardens while climbing the stairs. From every plateau, there is a different view.

Amber and blue spotlights illuminate pink, blue and red flowers. Palms, yuccas, Chinese oaks and cypress are a few of the $1,000 worth of vegetation included in the installation, he said. Baylin also incorporated a few cardboard date palms for a fantasy effect.

“I based this piece greatly on modern architecture,” Baylin said earlier while putting the finishing touches on the structure in his East San Diego studio . “I’m playing with exaggerated perspectives. It’s very similar to what they’ve done with Horton Plaza. I’ve recently become very interested in the cubists and have been influenced by their work.

Baylin said he is also very inspired by theatrical and opera sets. He first started sketching and painting when he became interested in the art of Henri Rousseau, a turn-of-the-century painter who incorporates dreamy images and tropical settings into his work.

For last year’s “ArtAlive” show, Baylin made a flower arrangement based on Flemish floral paintings. Working with flowers and plants comes naturally to the artist.

“I work a lot with floral arrangements in my catering business,” he said. “I very much incorporate my artistic abilities into my catering. I would eventually like to design parties, create a theme and make props and food to represent the theme. I like to use a lot of theatrics and drama in my work.

“Creating is a way of making my dreams become realities.