to po s. no 109
Consumption
2019
STEVEN MILES – On spaces for consumption, themed spaces and the world of consumer excess 26
EVE BLAU – On Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, a glittering metropolis built both on and with oil 32
ADRIAAN GEUZE – About his fight for public accessibility, his confidence in progress and his perception of mass culture 82
to po s. no 109
2019
Consumption
T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L R E V I E W O F L A N D S CA P E A R C H I T E CT U R E A N D URB A N DE S I G N
Contents
THE BIG PICTURE
CURATED PRODUCTS
Page 8
Page 102
OPINION
REFERENCE
Page 10
Page 106
TALE NT VS. MASTERMIND
E DITOR’S PICK
Page 12
Page 108
METROPOLIS EXPLAINED
Page 14 ALPS AS AMUSEMENT PARK
Page 56
BACKFLIP IN A DELIRIOUS FRENZY
THE CHANGING FACE OF IMMERSION CAPITALISM
Page 110
Photographer Karl Davies’ alerting time-lapse short film and still images on landscapes of consumption Page 18
If consumer society had a spiritual centre, then it would be Singapore’s Sentosa Island Page 64
ESCAPE PLAN
Page 112
LANDSCAPES OF CONSUMPTION
ABOUT BLACK MIRROR ...
FROM THE EDGES
Steven Miles on spaces for consumption, themed spaces and the world of consumer excess Page 26
What understanding of “space” offers an answer to the technological or social questions of the future? Page 70
Page 114
OIL A ND URBANISM
SPYING FROM ABOVE?
Eve Blau on Baku – a metropolis built both on and with oil Page 32
How does London deal with the conflation of two spheres – commercial and civic? Page 76
IMPRINT
MINING AND A SEA OF DIFFICULTIES
IN CONVERSATION WITH ADRIAAN GEUZE
How the Swedish picturesque landscape of Oviken is in danger of being exploited by mining Page 40
About his fight for public accessibility, his confidence in progress and his perception of mass culture Page 82
ALPS AS AMUSEMENT PARK
A BOTANICAL WUNDERKAMMMER
In conversation with geographer and Alpine expert Werner Bätzing on a disappearing cultural landscape Page 46
How the Jewel at Singapore Changi Airport contributes to the construction of a perfect landscape of consumption Page 88
FLORAL LANDSCAPES ON DISPLAY
TRASH MOUNTAINS
The “spectacularisation” of plants and blossoms in Japanese flower parks Page 52
The photographer Sajjad Hussain has captured everyday occurences at the Bhalswa landfill in penetrating pictures Page 94
CONSUMPTION: FACTS & FIGURES
CONTRIBUTORS
Illustration by Karolina Zolubak Page 58
Page 100
ALL THAT GLITTERS ...
How to perceive New York’s most expensive neighborhood Hudson Yards? Page 60
006
topos ISSUE 109
FLORAL LANDSCAPES ON DISPLAY
Page 52
Photos: Kurofune; EXPA/ JFK/ picture alliance/APA/picturedesk.com
Page 113
Consumption
In a delirious frenzy Higher, better, faster – we live in a capitalist economy, one that fosters over-consumption; a modern economy that has to continuously step up production to survive. This vicious circle impacts the life of mankind and the whole biosphere. The changes that population growth and consumer capitalism cause on our planet are the theme of “Landscape of Consumption“, a film by the English photographer Karl Davies. The scenes in his production are mainly so depressing because he neither glosses over nor edits anything – he just reflects our everyday life. VANESSA KANZ
018
topos ISSUE 109
A shopping street in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.
026
topos ISSUE 109
Landscapes Consumption Consumption of Consumption Consumption
Consumption
Our landscapes are first and foremost spaces for consumption. They are an urgent testament to a world of progress unfulfilled, that human beings have come to define through their ability to use up and lay to waste. Such spaces are both spectacular monuments and yet living, breathing question marks that hang over our very existence. This world of manufactured places has reached something of a turning point. Or has it? At one level we appear, albeit painfully slowly, to be recognising the impact of consumption on the environment, but at another our urban and rural landscapes are more indebted to the world of consumer excess than ever before. Where do we, where can we, go from here? STEVEN MILES
topos
027
Photo: Iwan Baan
History and future as one: Icheri Sheher is Baku’s Old Town - situated within the fortress walls. The Flame Towers are in the distance.
Consumption
Oil Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is the oldest oil extraction site still in operation, and one of the most rapidly changing urban environments in the world today. Baku experienced its first oil boom in the 1870s. Since that time, the extraction, production and commodification of both oil and urbanism have been intertwined – economically, politically and physically – in the fabric and culture of the city. The long history of those entanglements gives us access not only to the foundations of the oil industry and the global urbanisation processes it set in motion, but also to the manifold temporalities, spatialities, scales, displacements and contradictions implied in the very concept of landscapes of consumption. EVE BLAU
and Urbanism topos
033
Consumption
Calm before the storm? What would happen to the landscape, to Oviken, if it were transformed by mining activities?
040
topos ISSUE 109
Mining and a Sea of An alluring atmosphere of stillness and raw wilderness. Unbroken mountain chains framing soft agricultural lowlands, directly next to the mythic lake of StorsjÜn. Oviken in the Swedish province of Jämtland represents a finely tuned narrative of land that has been used by humans since the Stone Age. As a landscape undoubtedly far away from the consumerism and placelessness of modern times, its evolution may still be jeopardized by foreign mining interests who use sustainability as their main argument.
Photo: Anna-Maria Pershagen
ANNA-MARIA PERSHAGEN
Difficulties topos
041
Consumption
Floral Landscapes Japan’s flower parks play an ever greater role in transforming landscapes into a commodity of the tourism industry. With their focus on the “spectacularisation” of ornamental plants and their blossoms, these parks are designed to capture the imagination of ordinary passers-by seeking a brief aesthetic experience. Yet these open spaces have more in common with Japanese culture and traditions than a fleeting glance might actually suggest.
on Display 052
topos ISSUE 109
Photos: Kurofune
MARCO GAZZOLI
Instagrammable: The Mirashi Hill at Hitachi Seaside Park with its springtime carpet of pale blue Nemophila.
topos
053
Consumption Illustration by Karolina Zolubak
32
million Overtourism: according to reports of “The Local” from Spain, Barcelona has a year-round population of under 2 million, but welcomes close to 32 million tourists a year.
1955 The world’s 1st enclosed shopping mall was opened in Luleå in northern Sweden in 1955 and was named Shopping; the region now claims the highest shopping center density in Europe.
5.4 planets If the whole world followed American consumption rates, we would require 5.4 planets worth of materials. The developing economy of India would require just 0,4 planets. (The Landscapes of Consumption – Karl Davies)
$200million
Disney-esque ghost town: Burj Al Babas is the symbol of a failed property development in Turkey. The 587 abandoned almost identical mini-castles cost $200 million and will probably not be inhabited at any time in the future.
1.6 million
The Great Pacific Garbage Island is located halfway between Hawaii and California. It covers an approximate surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers – an area three times the size of France.
Consumption
The changing Face If the hysteria of today’s consumer society has a spiritual centre, Sentosa Island in Singapore might well be it. Five square kilometres, packed to the brim with all kinds of interaction-seeking consumerist spaces. And yet, crisis is always part of the game, and change is the only constant in this spatial phantasmagoria.
Photo: Adwo / Alamy Stock Foto
ALEXANDER GUTZMER
of Immersion Capitalism topos
065
The Sentosa Resorts World encompasses a casino, two theme parks, six hotels, a maritime museum, theatres, a conference centre and a myriad of shopping outlets and restaurants.
066
topos ISSUE 109
“Mass culture represents a major trauma, because it ridicules authenticity and suffocates the emergence of new illusions.” Award-winning Dutch landscape architect Adriaan Geuze has developed projects all over the world while remaining an advocate of the Dutch tradition of constantly creating a new environment. When he established West 8 in 1987 together with his partner Edzo Bindels, he had the ambition to bring the harmony-driven tradition of landscape architecture into the world of modern mass culture. Since then, world and society have changed. In his opinion, mass culture is dominant and aggressive. Eric Firley, who teaches at the University of Miami School of Architecture, had the chance to talk to Adriaan Geuze about a new notion of public space, the impact of mass culture on urban planning and his fascination for the American landscape.
INTERVIEW: ERIC FIRLEY
ERIC FIRLEY: I recently wrote a paper with a lawyer from Berlin, focusing
on how to provide publicly accessible space through the private sector, on property that remains private. We have a lot of that, private gardens or malls being the most obvious examples. It’s probably the case also for many of your projects. Would you say that this legal distinction has an impact on your work? ADRIAAN GEUZE: Yes, it is a big issue but, by the same token, the client knows who we are. They know we fight for public accessibility, they understand our passion. We focus on delivering spaces that are open to all types of user groups. If that is restricted, why would we make a design? EF: But do you think that the private legal status inevitably creates a flawed experience? AG: No, the behavioural and design laws are the same. It should not matter. Public accessibility also means that you have to design it in such a way that it looks like public land. We are working on New Holland in St. Petersburg, a privately owned historic island in the city. The local population is not used to a type of park where they can walk on the grass or have a picnic. A park that the private sector takes care of is uncommon for them. Our client wants to create a Jardin du Luxembourg-kind of public space for the people of St. Petersburg. They only demand that visitors buy food and drinks on the site and not bring their own. So there is, if you will, a price for going there, but I am still impressed by the approach. Legally it is not public, but it comes very close to what people feel to be genuinely public. It’s welcoming and families go there with kids and grandparents. It has become a popular meeting place. EF: I think that this is a good example, also because it challenges the Western-European view of who needs protection from whom: the public sector from the private one, or vice versa? It’s not always black and white, even in fully democratic countries. The more public it is in terms of use,
082
topos ISSUE 109
the more useful it occurs to me. But the ownership as such is sometimes less important, particularly in terms of global comparisons. AG: Yes, this is something that is culture-related. In Germany, for example, a park must be publicly owned. Period. In America these notions are far more ambiguous. In Hong Kong half the parks are programmed and ticketed every weekend, because people demand amazing festivals with food and wine, and additional security. We now face a new notion of public space propelled by the internet and other mass media. Mass culture has produced a generation that is willing to pay more money to share time with friends. Before the ’60s, this was unthinkable. Now we go to festivals in our thousands, together. The world is changing, and the so-called public space is changing along with it. The socio-political reality of public space is in flux. EF: I would like to come back to your beginnings. West 8 was not only able to grow fairly quickly, but you also received national and international recognition. Was this because of your work methods, or was it also a question of attitude and conceptual innovation? AG: When we started, we had the ambition to bring the tradition of landscape architecture – which was then a more horticultural one, harmonydriven and a little nostalgic – into the world of modern mass culture, irregularity, conflict and acceleration. We clearly did not share the aims and prevailing paradigms of our then colleagues in landscape architecture. That was our position in the ’80s, and we chose it in full awareness. EF: But how did you come to this position? Why did you have a problem with this attitude? AG: Primarily because it was in almost ridiculous contradiction to the reality of the profession. Life in the ’70s appeared to be about peace and harmony, reasonability, and softness. In the early ’80s, Reaganism and Thatcherism showed a different reality. The economic depression forced our generation to fight for decent jobs. The rebellious generation of the sixties was
Consumption
wiped out. We were intrigued by the new paradigms of that moment. I myself was inspired by the Dutch legacy of land making: the reclaiming of land from the sea, making land as a construct. Our attitude was actually more common in the world of architects, because their discipline embraced new concepts and innovations. At the time, landscape architecture was about blending in and cultivating continuity and harmony. We wanted to mix up the aesthetics of engineering, infrastructure, architecture, and urban planning. Our fascination was the contemporary lifestyle and the metropolis of those days. The aesthetics of mass culture and of the industrialized landscape energized me. I loved it and I photographed it for years and years. EF: Was this one of the reasons for you to study in Wageningen, because of the legacy of land making? AG: Yes. Wageningen University, and to a lesser extent the Technical University in Delft too, preserved the Dutch legacies of land making and defence against water. After the war, almost the entire agricultural domain of the Netherlands was redesigned through a national re-allotment and modernization programme. It resulted in a new and even more dramatic flatland. It was a monumental project led by agricultural engineers, for which a school had been established in Wageningen. It was the reason I went there to study, and up to today I am happy about that decision. Sadly, in the ’70s the tradition of land making came to an end. Academically it continued, but not in practice. The baby boom generation loosened its ties on the development of the Dutch landscape, the cities, and our infrastructure. Those topics became taboo. I still feel that I was born at the wrong time. EF: I am intrigued by this tension between engineering and horticulture, as much as that between natural territory and artificial land creation. This sounds somehow very Dutch, even though your case seems to be particularly extreme. How does this translate into a design method? How do you reconcile what can be understood as opposites?
AG: In my heart I am a more a practitioner than a theorist. I was trained by
one of the best modernist landscape architects, Hans Warnau, who worked in the tradition of people like the German Leberecht Migge. Warnau’s work breathes Dutch simplicity, protestant minimalism and functionalism. In our country simplicity and commonplace signify the sublime, so I am inevitably rooted in that tradition as well. I like engineering, whether for ecology or for urban programming. Sometimes existing conditions excite me so much that I’m tempted not to intervene. Perhaps it is contradictory, but I am also a very romantic and passionate guy. I see objects and landscapes as characters. I always give birth to characters with their own identity. You like them or you hate them – they are not in-between. These elements are intrinsic to my design strategy. EF: You have done a lot of work in the US, and I have the impression that you like the country. Some of the things you mentioned, from the greed for exploration to the obsession with land and to the beauty of industrial landscapes, made me think that. Do you have this connection, and does it relate to any specific landscapes? AG: I do enjoy working in the US. America possesses this special optimism and a unique contemporary landscape juxtaposed to its wilderness. On top of that, what I really like about the American landscape is the relevance of its railroads and its highways. I understand them and am okay with their presence as a part of modern culture that I can relate to. EF: I start to believe that your engineering background is actually more relevant for understanding your work than your Dutchness. AG: They are both part of my background. I am rooted in a culture that was shameless in creating new nature. It is obsessive and embedded in Dutch culture. A thousand years of Dutch legacy, and I am unavoidably part of that, born into that. To some extent I will always be wearing wooden shoes. It is true that a lot of people who see our work don’t always grasp this dimension.
topos
083