Eliza, Will, Julia, Dante, Katherine, Thao 1 IS LANDSCAPENATURE?IS LANDSCAPENATURE? REPRESENTATION II BROWNHILL CREEK AS VIEWED BY THE SENSES
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CONTENTS LIGHT 4-5 SIGHT 6-7 SMELL/TASTE 8-9 SOUND 10-11 TOUCH 12-13 THE SIXTH SENSE 14-15 3
If we pause for a moment to observe the light around us, we can appreciate it in all its glory. We can widen ourselves to a broader perspective and we can find comfort in it. We’re given a small fraction of the spectrum of light, and it is still so profound.
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Light and Nature go hand in hand. They co-exist so effortlessly, and we have the pleasure of experiencing it for ourselves every day. The bright, sparkly light that reflects off the creek. It moves and swirls with every ripple of the water’s surface. The sunbeams that radiate towards us, beneath the tall trees. As if an angel was singing down from above. The abstract patterns hitting every surface. Created by the branches and the foliage and the reeds and the grass. They dance around all day. Everchanging light. They’ll even dance the fox trot on a breezy day. Light is colour. Light is the green we see in the grass, the blue we see in the sky, and the magenta we see in a wildflower.
LIGHT Eliza "Thenounnatural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible."
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Someone may see a small white flower dancing in the wind that reminds them of a romantic evening, creating a feeling of love and wholeness within them. Some may see a beautifully colored bird taking flight which gives them a sense of freedom when surrounded by nature. The important thing to know when being at Brownhill Creek is you’re not just seeing, but what you see, sees something within you.
SIGHT Will noun "Manage to see or observe (someone or something); catch an initial glimpse of."
Imagine complete darkness, how being able to see nothing makes you feel, how it makes you feel distant from everything and everyone around you. Now imagine all of a sudden, you’re at Brownhill Creek, and your heart is completely flooded with colors and life. The variety of nature and what can be seen is overwhelming. Brownhill Creek is where movement and stillness meet, you can see ducks swimming down a pond or a tree slowly swaying in the wind. Every little detail that can be seen at Brownhill Creek can affect everyone in different ways. Some may come to this space to do work as seeing the greenness around them gives them motivation to create.
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SMELL/TASTE Julia "nounSniff at (something) in order to perceive or detect its odour or scent." "The objective sweet, sour, bitter, salty, or umami quality of a dissolved substance as perceived by the sense of taste."
When one thinks of nature, it is all too easy to forget the most important element; the way it is perceived by the senses. Simpler than that, the way that nature makes you feel by being a part of it. The air is fresher in nature, the aromas of different flowers and trees more vibrant, and the fruit tastes infinitely better when it has been home grown. There is just no comparison. From the earthy aroma just before the downpour to the smell of wet lawn, there is a scent for every occasion. The urban atmosphere will never come close to breathing in the air from the great outdoors. Your senses allow you to immerse yourself within nature and truly experience the peace and tranquillity that it offers. Let the scents of the seasons transport you to a simpler time, where spring is filled with aromas of primroses, summer with freshly cut lawn and a humidity in the air that leaves you endlessly thirsty, autumn with ripening corn and maturing grass, and winter with air so crisp it could cut like a knife.
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In Brownhill creek, you hear the water flowing downstream, through the rocks and down the waterfalls. Within the stream, the frogs croak and splash in the water. You can hear the gully winds rustling through the gum trees, blowing the leaves from side to side. Within the trees the Galahs chirping away, calling out to each other, and flapping their wings. The occasional sounds from the built environment, whether someone jogging or walking along, with their shoes crunching on the gravel path, or a cyclists wheels spinning down the road. Even without our eyes we can see all these elements through our ears, painting an image of the landscape within our minds.
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Combining the sounds of nature creates a natural rhythm, a heartbeat to the landscape. Being within this “heartbeat” allows you to transcend and become one with the landscape. Allowing you to unwind from the stresses and problems of modern life and relax within the landscape. that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person's or animal's ear."
Dante SOUND "nounVibrations
What comes to your mind when you hear that statement? If you close your eyes, you might imagine a picturesque landscape consisting of trees, animals, rivers and a landscape of rolling hills or tall mountains. However, if you close your eyes within nature, you can't see the landscape, you hear it.
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Katherine TOUCH "nounCome
Wind blows, the cool breeze is whisked onto the face, the strong wind storms through the hair. The river runs along creeks, as feet step into the running water wetting the feet. Cold water runs between toes and remerges together, before being broken by fingers separating the stream once again. Refreshing waves splash upwards, stippling your leg with droplets of water. One breath and humidity suffocates your lungs, simultaneously moistening the grass and soil. Fingertips graze the roughness of the bark that coats the trees in woods, and silkiness of the cotton. Some leaves feel furry, some of them are smooth, some of them are lumpy and some of them are have grooves.
Insects crawl on and have their adventure, causing tingles and goose bumps along the skin that they venture. The tears from the sky fall towards the earth, the leaves on the trees try to wipe away the pain. But droplets seep past, only to evaporate into rain. into or be in contact with."
Nature provides a vision as the interpretation of landscape. Before and after all the built environment, nature is always there as an origin of landscape. Landscape is always integrated with nature, such as with the mountain or hills as can be felt through touches. The warmth of the sun is always there, maybe with a little sweat.
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"nounAsupposed intuitive faculty giving awareness not explicable in terms of normal perception.."
Thao THE SIXTH SENSE
This is proprioception, also called the sense of spatial awareness, explaining how a human’s body proceeds sensory information while navigating through the natural element of the landscape. The terrane, vegetation, rocks and their randomised placements are natural stimuli from the site. Indeed, landscape is nature, since only nature is powerful enough for humans to adjust and calculate their movement. Built environments are made to accommodate humans while nature is unpredictable, with one’s bodily experience at a landscape is at the mercy of its nature.
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A person could stroll effortlessly along a dirt path without gluing their eyes to their feet, thanks to the confidence in knowing how the friction in the soil and the flat terrane of the site helps support their stability. However, things change when they decide to hike up a steep slope where the contour of the ground now challenges them to coordinate their limbs’ positions, while their toes subconsciously grip onto the sole of their shoes. As a reaction, their hands might also grab onto any nearby trees or rocks to anchor themselves, cooperating with the demanding natural condition of the landscape.
It is apparent how living beings are capable of interacting with a landscape using their five basic senses, but has one ever wondered how the same landscape can also communicate with humans through their muscles?
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