2.3 Contemplation

This thesis presents contemplation as the way forward, alongside melancholy. Interviewees inspired this suggestion (see Chapter 3), and Bowring amongst others, support it. Bowring states that “Landscape architecture has the opportunity to contribute to the emotional wellbeing of the world through the shaping of places which foster contemplation” (2016, p. 30). However, she positions contemplation as a possibility within a melancholic aesthetic and does not consider it in isolation of melancholy. The following section explores contemplation from a different angle. It explores it first as a stand-alone experience in order to reunite the two concepts later in the most meaningful way.

What is contemplation? Contemplation, like melancholia, is an elusive word that has different meanings according to the circles in which it is used. The Oxford English Dictionary says that it is “the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time, deep reflective thought, the state of being considered or planned, or religious meditation”.

Philosophers, theologians, writers and spiritual leaders across the world, from Aristotle and Plato to Rumi and Edgar Allan Poe, have described the virtues of contemplation and many have devoted themselves to practicing and instructing others. Aristotle even declares, “Contemplation is the highest form of activity”. This ‘elevated state’, one that might heal people and address concern for degrading environments, goes beyond a thoughtful gaze.

In a study of Buddhism, Thurman provides descriptions of such a state. He distinguishes “calming contemplation” from “insight contemplation”, where the first provides physical and mental benefits by emptying the mind, and the second contributes “… more to psychological, intellectual, and spiritual development…” (Treib, 2005, p. 1). This thesis takes special interest in the socalled “insight contemplation” in which the individual is actively involved to understand, reflect and ponder a particular situation. Meditation is a related term, one that is sometimes used interchangeably with contemplation. In the western context, it carries associations to religious practices and techniques (Treib, 2005).

Contemplation is not a static state; it is developmental. It begins with focused attention, but this transitions into communion with the object of contemplation (Treib, 2005). Western descriptions of the contemplative state describe conditions, landscapes, and art that foster it, but they are less clear about instruction and practices to achieve it, or rather, ‘prerequisites’ for contemplation. For the developmental nature of contemplations, draws from an example of direct instruction from an Eastern teacher, in the hopes that it provides insights into the basic personal and environmental conditions required to help someone reach a state of contemplation. Although it is ultimately the individual’s receptivity that determines whether or not they reach this state, a well-considered environment is recognized to be a highly enabling factor (Hermann, 2005).

Spiritual teacher, Swami Sivananda, explains that concentration is necessary for meditation [contemplation] and that purpose, focus, and purity of the mind are necessary for concentration (Sivananda, 1975). One can understand it like this:

PURPOSE, FOCUS, PURITY OF MIND CONCENTRATION

CONTEMPLATION

‘approximately leads to’ (from non-scientic sources)

It seems that without the first two stages, one cannot achieve a state of contemplation. The five authors of Contemporary landscapes of contemplation have similar insights, but they do not emphasize the progression from one state to the next, and thereby underestimate the importance of ‘pre-conditioning’ in order to contemplate.

The sublime interlude Unlike contemplation in landscape architecture, the sublime experience, has been explicitly described as an experiential sequence. Similar to this exploration, Roncken investigates how a sequential sublime experience can facilitate creativity and identification with 21 st century degraded landscapes (Roncken, 2018).

The sublime experience and the ‘making of meaning’ are compatible with melancholy, contemplation, and disappearing glacier landscapes. Although it is beyond the scope of this thesis to address the sequential sublime experience, Roncken’s work provides support for the notion of a sequence and exemplifies the depth and possible breadth of experience within it. This thesis aims to provide input for a design, so that degree of depth is not required here, but would be interesting for further research.

The productivity bias What relevance does contemplation have in contemporary society? Often considered to be the opposite of action, perhaps this question can be indirectly answered by looking at action. Glaciers are not retreating in isolation. They are retreating within the global capitalist system that demands acceleration, speed, hard work, productivity, efficiency, and consumption (Fullagar, Markwell, & Wilson, 2012). For many people, action in mainstream, contemporary society involves an ever-increasing tempo of life, long workweeks, and expectations to perform in all aspects of life. As modern life sweats under the ruling ‘cult of speed’, the only way to stop the machine from overheating might be to bring it down to a lower gear… (Fullagar et al., 2012).

Contemplation in landscape architecture According to Rebecca Krinke, the editor of Contemporary landscapes of contemplation, there is no single definition of a contemplative landscape, but rather it is “one where the designers have set out to create a space that quiets the mind – facilitating a developmental activity or process where the individual has more choice over their thoughts – perhaps to focus their reflections, perhaps to focus on inner silence” (Krinke, 2005, p. 108). Like melancholy, contemplation has a long history in art and design, including landscape architecture. The enclosed garden, for instance, has been used across time and cultures as a secure and contemplative space (Krinke, 2005).

Authors agree that people do seek out places of contemplation, that space can provide the experience of contemplation, and certain spatial features (also called elements, triggers, principles, characteristics, or strategies) can be used to provide the means to a contemplative experience (Krinke, 2005). However, with the exception of one article, there is no landscape architecture literature that sets out to identify which features can be used to create contemplative spaces (Olszewska, Marques, Ryan, & Barbosa, 2018). Krinke’s work contains the only collection of essays to explicitly address what makes landscapes contemplative (2005). They are insightful, descriptive, and comprehensive, but not scientifically rigorous. Olszewska et al. are the first researchers to extract a definitive list of ‘contemplative landscape features’ drawn from their own empirical research and Krinke’s work as well (2018). Insights from both of these sources inform the aesthetic framework developed in Chapter 4. A performative contemplation What work does contemplation perform? In its highest form, meditation is said to lead to enlightenment. This goes beyond academic comprehension and beyond landscape, but is mentioned here to provoke thought about the bigger picture. Contemplation pulls the individual out of the every day, out of the finiteness of space, and out of the self (Hermann, 2005). It is said to steady the mind, dissolve internal conflicts, and open doors of intuition, amongst other benefits. If these claims are even partially true, it provides a farther reach than melancholy alone (Sivananda, 1975).

“What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action.”

- Meister Eckhart

Although contemplation is often considered to be the opposite of action, they are linked and a balanced person needs both. Relevant to the current discussion about environmental engagement, contemplation has been shown to result in and “…sustain action, since it provides a grounding and renewal for the participant” (Krinke, 2005, p. 3). People are apparently attuned to this, because, as mentioned, they seek out spaces that allow them to contemplate. If one considers this with regards to environmental melancholia, providing the possibility and space for contemplation can therefore (like melancholy) influence the capacity of an individual to engage in such issues and (beyond melancholy) connect them to much vaster universal truths.