landscapenarratives as told by Corey Cameron LA 401 // Cal Poly Pomona
abstract
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Through establishing significance within the landscape and creating that relationship between users and nature; Landscape Architects can generate more meaningful spaces. The position taken with in this pamphlet is that narrative landscapes is a tool that aids in the development of functional designs, communication of those design decisions, and a method of analyzing the landscape; both as a means of current conditions as well as future predictions. This pamphlet also explores the process of narration and offers examples of narrative landscapes. By recognizing the characteristics of a narrative, and understanding the process of development, design decisions have more meaning and cultural strength. The research for this publication and comparative analysis will use the text, Landscape Narratives, Design Practices for Telling Stories, written by Matthew Potteiger and Jamie Purinton. Following will be documented personal wanderings that look for the landscape narrative within two different environments, sacred landscape and urban sprawl. Notes on professionals who utilize narratives to design and communicate will also have a focus while further support for this thesis will come from lexicon terms, those that directly relate to the field of narrative landscapes.
story realm contextual/intertextual realm discourse realm wanderings wanderings liam young lexicons conclusion bibliography 01
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story realm
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The Story Realm creates a fictional world in which a landscape exists. It encompasses the authors or designers intention to create meaning. This is that direct world that uses time, place, character, agency, and events to carry out the narration. These components of a story work as a system of signification (Potteiger/Purinton, 41). Here, spacial characteristics of a landscape are considered as they act as the boundaries to the story, creating a threshold from what is everyday conversation to a narration. The boundaries also give orientation to the users, preparing and structuring the narration in such a way that the users can understand what can be expected. Urban landscapes may not have definitive boundaries, many times being defined by the density of buildings and there scale, however on many occasions the story of the landscape blends and merges with the surrounding forces and environments which must also be considered. With in the boundaries of the landscape narrative; agency, events, and characters play a role in the story realm of the landscape narrative. Event is the precursor to the narrative, it is the transition from stasis to process (Potteiger/Purinton, 42) . The event comes within a two fold process (many events can also occur) where one event is the established situation or current condition and the second is the change that occurs. With in events, agencies and characters play out the function of the event, narrartologists recognize six roles of a actor - Subject, object, sender, receiver, opponent, and helper. Acknowledging these forces of an event can assist in the development of a meaningful landscape, one that offers a connection for the users and the design. Lastly, within the Story Realm, Time plays a major role in the narrative landscape. Time can also be interpreted in many ways, through time a tree takes to develop, or utilizing the seasons and plants to represent an occurrence of change, Time of the actual narrative verses the represented space and be different in that the story took place over many years but the experience of the narrative landscape takes a few minutes. Another consideration is the time between when a story took place and when the landscape is narrated. This can allude to historical contexts and mythical representation; or, as in the case of the 9/11 memorial, the time between the event and the landscape is relevant and present. Understanding the story realm and its ability to recreate the existence of actual or fictional events will create an ability to provide coherent and believable narrations.
A two event story
diagram
event 01- phone rings in phone booth as a man passes by
event 02 - man answers the phone and is affected by the call
contextual+intertextual realm
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In this realm boundaries are diminished and the landscape narrative becomes open for interpretation. Here the reference for consideration is the context of the site and its relevance to the surrounding locale. The control for the stories direction of intention shifts from the designer’s power to the readers and users who then interpret and control the meaning. Contextual landscapes contain both a purposeful connection with the story realm and the framework for the narrative, while also allowing for the inadvertent influence of meaning. The contextual realm, in essence, sets the stage for the narrative to take place with the environment of the site to continue to write the narrative. Pottieger and Purinton refer to the Villa Lante as a contextual landscape which by design creates a context of the golden age of the park, however its location is set on top of land that once was the location for the Commune of Bagnaia, a vicinity for ancient baths. Through this unintentional connection the park becomes linked to the history of the site. Additionally, the contextual story of a landscape aims at being linked to the larger framework of a site. Within the urban environment, edge conditions are used to reference the contextual relationship with in a site, re-framing it boundaries to be in relationship with its surroundings. Within the realm of context the cleverness is revealed through imitation while it’s dominate trope is metonymy, which sums up a larger existence. These forces work to control the meaning of the narrative and reference the exterior context of the site. Intertextual realm deals with the understanding that all narratives are a compilation of multiple stories and authorships. This enables a way to track how the landscape narrative can be revealed and unearthed in a variety of forms and practices outside the boundaries of the story. Within a intertextual narrative relationships between user and the landscape are formed through the user or reader making and interpretation the story through their own experience with the land. This is important as a designer to recognize so that unnecessary symbolism can be avoided, allowing the user to reinterpret and create on their own.
The image above is the San Miguel Mission in Sante Fe New Mexico. This was taken on a studio field trip. Here the mission is considered one of the oldest missions and it is placed on top of a Kiva, which is the image below. A strong intertextual relationship is being represented here in that the location chosen for this mission is already on top of a sacred site. This speaks of many things and reveals the story of the Spanish conquest in which the Catholic church imposed there religion on the natives, and quite literally built over there traditions and beliefs.
discourse realm
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A discourse is a “social framework of intelligibility� that influences all practices of signification, including narrative and landscape (Duncan 1990,16). The concept of a discourse is found through out many practices and professions, it aids in creating a conversation and generating relationships between meaning. This is not a strict conversation but rather a form of communication that invokes new ideas and negotiations. The discourse realm focuses not so much on the moral intention of the landscape narrative but rather the use of the story, how it affects the user and how it creates a conversation or inspiration for future projects. With an understanding that the narrative landscape aids in forming a system of belief and authority (Pottiger/Purinton, 60), the designer and author can utilize the discourse realm to influence and invoke conversation to establish a belief and ownership of the landscape design. In many instances the discourse of a landscape falls under a political and cultural conflict. It reflects the natural existence on land and species that are in a battle against human values. A discourse with in the landscape narrative helps us understand and identify the position from which the story is told. What cultural influence may have in shaping the land, and what values are being placed on the decisions for the design. Through understanding the methodology that manipulates the design a narrative is revealed and better understood. Additionally the pre-design process can take a stance on what narrative to tell and encourage a cultural acceptance through its dialogue.
The poster to the left is a project conducted in which discourse and conversation between strangers was experimented and encouraged. This is a landscape project when considering that the landscape sets the stage for conversation and interaction between people. The idea is that a dining table and white table cloth were placed outside in a high traffic area with menus of conversation questions as well as games, rather than food. This was to see how people reacted to the object and how they utilized it.
wanderings
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Stillness, weight of sound, you’re on hallowed ground. Watch your step, ants marching in, snakes have not been seen. Blue sky speaks of clarity, the sun speaks of gods. Mapped on the ground these ruins tell of ritual. Procession. Change. Forgotten traditions. Dedication. Pause for a moment to reflect. Walls speak back, simple reverberation immortalizes and deserves praise. Ten mile walk in three miles, reveals perspective and awe. Fire brings comfort while the stars give sight to the blind. Drink dulls the legs from that fifteen mile climb. Go back inside the white whale. Graves mark trespassing outsiders that threaten way of life Religious sanctuary is second best to the leafless tree From the earth we shape our image, from our trash we can call home. Below is the Kiva, and above the hell set in stone.
wanderings
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Buzzing, honking, motion, scatter, intense stimulation Scents both disgust and entice A loud man rambles his stories of the street Narrating the events of an urban drugged mind. No, you don’t have any change. Search for the pieces of the puzzle, Find that clue that contains the design. Walk down on the upside of an escalator, Purchase a tap card and enjoy the ride. Reflective material stands erect, manifesting presence Pathways that meander frames and reveals. layers of those that came and gone Gives the Suffocation of spaces a new appeal
liam young
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Dark, deep, and apocalyptic. A vision of a future turmoiled to a fate of resource depletion and dense suffocation. The futuristic architecture of thought, Liam young spells out his vision of tomorrow’s thoughts today using an iconic image of Kim Kardashian, a trope for the vision. A known character for the unknown character of design. His act of narration for this particular lecture, which was a very interesting way to portrait a vision, is not what is of concern. Rather, the narrative effort done through hours and days of research revolving around ecological impacts. Searching for those clues from the landscape both man made and natural consequences of overpopulation, overuse, and misunderstanding. This narrative landscape speaks in scientific terms; a language of hypothesis, examination and results. Like most scholars and professionals, reading articles, journals and studies expands the understanding of a particular field. Architects must also read the land, find out where is has been to know where its going - basically get it’s story. Beautifully termed, thoughts of tomorrow, intrigues the narrative aspect of architecture in general. Wondering and imagining the future, as fictitious as that may seem, is really the essence behind design. The history and known consequences allow for prediction which is a story above all else. Liam’s stab at a predicted piece of future reminds us of being cautious to our design decisions, and reminds us to be the change as it is a responsibility.
While listening to Liam Young’s narration of the world of tomorrow I pictured the images of Los Angeles where the visions of that apocalyptic world are present. Additionally the photos speak of the values we place on trends and fashion while forgetting that we have limited resources to support those empty concerns.
cullity landscape architecture
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The Taylor-Cullity-Lethlean Landscape Architecture team is a great example of designers using narratives to process and engage their designs within culturally urban spaces. In this lecture they spoke on observing ways beyond being immersive and abstracting how you perceive things. By altering the way you might look at something you can begin to see the things that are not there. Forces that may have an impact on the design as well as influence a more meaningful design that will be embraced through all the social, cultural, spiritual and political dimensions. Projects such as the Adelaide Airport and Manly Corso utilize narratives to engage cultural use. “The design takes its cues from the wider South Australian landscape, with the oval pattern and colors of the plaza reminiscent of dryer landscapes experienced from the air. The eucalyptus trees evoke a distinctively Australian experience.� (http://www. tcl.net.au/projects/urban-design/adelaide-airport-371) This method of design process created a more meaningful design.
MANLY CORSO Photo credit: http://www.tcl.net.au/projects/urban-design/manly-corso
ADELAIDE AIRPORT Photo credit: http://www.tcl.net.au/projects/urban-design/adelaideairport-371
trope
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Noun: a word, phrase, or image used in a new and different way in order to create an artistic effect. Can also be used as a figure of speech. Or an overused phrase or plot device that has become cliche. Examples of trope within the landscape can be found through places applying meaning by which people understand, by relating one thing to another. It is used to present difficult and complex ideas in terms of an equally complex but more familiar practice. The four major tropes are: metaphor, metonymy, syecdoche, and irony.
Litter with in the landscape speaks of a consumer society. The crumpled can is a trope that alludes and speaks of character and value. Photo credit: Francisco Javier Medina Gomez
Flowering trees, leaves falling, bare trunks and branches, all speak of change and time. Used heavily within the landscape as a trope for changing times. Photo credit: Mr. Fishscales, Flowertropes.com
intertextual
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Adjective: the practice of transposing, juxtaposing, and blending heterogeneous semiotic spaces, not only those represented in the textual world but also those evoked by linguistic and genre forms on the textual surface. -Juvan, Marko. “Spaces of Intertextuality/The Intertextuality of Space.” Primerjalna knjizevnost (Ljubljana) 27.Special Issue (2004): 85–96. The notion of intertextuality with in the landscape is found through the relationship between the user and the space. Alluding to the process landscape is experienced; by first perceived as a visual reference, and layers reveal the themes, whether that be historical, religious or poetic. At this point the user is described as having an experience with the landscape intertextually.
Japanese gardens have a intertextual relationship with symbolism and relating to geographical impressions with in the Japanese landscape. Personal Photo taken at the Japanese garden in Portland, OR.
Urban life is full of intertextual landscapes, those that layer history and allude to that cultural existence and culture surrounding urbanization. Photo credit: Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window
signification
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Noun: the act or process of signifying by signs or other symbolic means; the meaning that a term, symbol, or character regularly conveys or is intended to convey. -http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/significance Matthew Pottiger and Jamie Purinton state that ‘common sense recognition that narratives cross realms of experience and appear in a great variety of forms, including landscape requires that we re-conceive narrative as a cultural system of signification’ (Landscape Narratives, 32). Signification acts as language of the landscape narrative, through which the stories construction is channeled.
Signification was a process that inspired these fountains in Portland, OR. Using the landscape that surrounds a site is of a narrative nature, it acts to re-tell the story of the landscape through a version understood in real time. Personal Photo taken in Portland OR
Memorials have an obvious narrative structure. The 9/11 memorial in New York utilizes significance through out the design process. Photo credit: https://artstuffmatters.wordpress.com/
binaries
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Noun: something having two parts -http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/significance Within the story realm it is a standard that an event consists of a two part sequence. Where the first is the current condition and the second is the change that occurs. By understanding this binary relationship we can better analyze and dissect the landscape narrative.
In opposition this architectural design of a public library looked to break the binary relationship of public-private space that trends in design with libraries and create e a fully open space. Photo Credit: Pershttp://sr-arch.net/potrero-library/
This project done recently by my group looked at creating a public urban space that connected people to the past and history of Los Angeles. Charles Jencks identified “Double-Coding� or a binary relationship as a way of combining historical tradition with new technologies. This project attempted to combine that historic past with a new age urban existence. Photo credit: Personal Design
discourse
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Noun: The use of words to exchange thoughts and ideas. :One of the types into which discourses are classified according to function and which comprise exposition, argument, description, and narration. -http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discourse The act of having discourse with in the landscape pertains to the conversation and debate over the effectiveness or lack there of a landscape has between culture and nature. Many times it is a political and cultural debate as to what values we place on the landscape, or the history within a site.
Fresh Kills project in NY is a great example of discourse with in Landscape design. Once a massive landfill and human waste dump site turns into a park speaks of a narrative with humans relationship with trash. Photo Credit: http://narrative.ly/stories/trash-comes-clean/
In essence this is a prime example of the conversation that has brewed over the course of many years around what to do with all our waste. The conversation still continues and we will see many new examples of what to do with our trash in the future. Photo Credit: http://narrative.ly/stories/trash-comes-clean/
metonymy
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Noun: the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for buisness executive or the track for a horse race. -http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metonymy Within the Landscape Narrative many examples of metonymy exist. This is a tool for designers to use to construct meaning by association, allowing for the non-verbal signification with in the design of the landscape narrative. This can include things such as the placement of materials next to, above, below, or after each other. The combination of experiences throughout the design allows for the user to read the landscape.
This massive architectural landscape piece is located in Seoul, Korea. It is the entrance to a baseball stadium at the heart of the city. The architects called this calls the design of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza a “metonymic landscape.” Photo Credit: http://kojects.com/2014/05/02/amazing-dongdaemundesign-plaza/
Zaha Hadid, the architect for this structure, paid attention to the general flow of Dongdaemun and its features which are differentiated every hour. DDP is positioned in ‘Metonymic landscape’ as a space linking park with design center physically and as a composition of park design not largely differing from Korean traditional garden design. Photo Credit: http://kojects.com/2014/05/02/amazing-dongdaemundesign-plaza/
contiguity
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Noun: the state of bordering or being in direct contact with something. -http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contiguity The placement of things within the landscape must be carefully chosen in that those things are the non-verbal sign-age for a user understanding the narrative within the design. We tend to make associations with known things in order to understand something that is unknown. Utilizing contiguity within the landscape narrative offers that association. Many times contiguity is found with in habitat design and ecological landscapes whose narrative is about the preservation or reclamation of certain species.
This habitat restoration project in Milwaukee, Oregon utilizes contiguity as narrative for habitat restoration. It considered the current conditions of placement and damage and used those clues to read the landscape for the best solution. Photo Credit: https://www.asla.org/2011awards/436.html
Another project in Healdsburg, CA saw that the site is currently occupied by industrial gravel processing equipment giving very little space for riparian habitats to thrive. The contiguity of industrial placement and river ecosystem is a narrative of restoration and consideration. Photo Credit: https://pangeaexpress.wordpress.com/2015/02/08/ bendway-park-healdsburg-ca/
synecdoche
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Noun: a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (as fifty sail for fifty ships), the whole for a part (as society for high society), the species for the genus (as cutthroat for assassin), the genus for the species (as a creature for a man), or the name of the material for the thing made (as boards for stage) -http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synecdoche As a part of reading the landscape synecdoche is the description used when something is representative of a larger picture or concept. Many times a synecdoche can be an indicator for some occurrence. Pottiger and Purinton use the example of indicator species that can allude to the health of a whole ecosystem. For instance the river otter have been used as indicators of healthy, clean river systems, or presence of the spotted owl as an indicator of old growth habitat. This can also be used to describe a complex story by using a small piece or fragment of the whole.
Through out landscape design and architecture we use syncedoche as tool to represent part of something as a whole. Here sticks from a local tree are stacked into a building shape, representing the part of a local woods and form of human intervention. Photo Credit: http://www.synecdochedesign.com/overlay/
This photograph is showing part of radio towers within a natural forest, representing the whole part of human ecology with in a fragmented piece of naturalized land. Photo Credit:http://artswithoutborders-eddee.blogspot.com/2013/03/ what-is-synecdoche-photo-exhibit-at-bbfa.html
extrapolation
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Noun: to project, extend, or expand (known data or experience) into an area not known or experienced so as to arrive at a usually conjectural knowledge of the unknown area <extrapolates present trends to construct an image of the future> -http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extrapolation Many times with in a Landscape narrative we as designers infer beyond the narrative and analyze the land for indicators to something unknown, even some futuristic projection that may occur. This is important to consider especially because we design for time and must consider the implications and impact of our designs for the future. Part of the Landscape architects responsibility is to collect analysis data of the site and the surrounding area to infer a positive design, one that will stand the test of time.
Many times we as designers utilize extrapolation to describe the narrative that is taking place with in the design, or as tools to clearly show the existing conditions with in a site. Those conditions that influenced the design decisions. Photo Credit:personal diagram used for a project.
Photo Credit: http://www.claudiabergs.com/portfolio.html
isochrony
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Noun: the postulated rhythmic division of time into equal portions by a language. Rhythm is an aspect of prosody, others being intonation, stress and tempo of speech. -http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/isochrony We tend to think that the span of time an actual event takes place and the time for a narration of that story occurs is two separate lengths, the dialogue and other direct devices create a similarity, in which the story time and narration appear equivalent. This is a occurrence that can make a landscape narrative appear historical, mythical or from direct experience (pottiger/purinton, 44).
Sacro Bosco, located in Italy contains a form of isochrony in that the mystical and historical attributes are experienced in a short time when comparing to the narrative time that takes place. Here time appears to same as a user wander through the landscape narrative. Photo Credit: http://narcissenavarre.com/sacro-bosco-at-dusk/
Photo Credit: http://narcissenavarre.com/sacro-bosco-at-dusk/
Conclusion
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Through establishing significance within the landscape and creating that relationship between users and nature; Landscape Architects can generate more meaningful spaces. By recognizing the characteristics of a narrative, and understanding the process of development, design decisions have more meaning and cultural strength. This is not by any means a prescriptive approach to Landscape Narratives but rather a analytical approach to the existence of Landscape Narratives. Narratives can come in many forms, and as stated above, understanding the process and ability to create more meaningful designs through the use of narration, landscape systems and cultural systems can create a more symbiotic relationship.
bibliography
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Duncan, James S. The City as Text: The Politics of Landscape Interpretation in the Kandyan Kingdom. Cambridge [England: Cambridge UP, 1990. 16. Print. Potteiger, Matthew, and Jamie Purinton. Landscape Narratives: Design Practices for Telling Stories. New York: J. Wiley, 1998. 31-70. Print. All photos in this document are cited at the bottom of the picture.