Trollstigplataet and the Perception of Landscape

TROLLSTIGPLATAET AND THE PERCEPTION OF LANDSCAPE: THE CONSTRUCT OF SECONDARY SENSATIONS THROUGH IMAGE Duyen Tamara Vo Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Design

Abstract:

​This project will investigate the importance of image in relationship to the tangible landscape, comparing the

manifestation of first and secondary perceptions through Trollstigplataet by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter. A landscape can be interpreted through a secondary lens; the image. The projected image does not deny the perception of spatial qualities, however are skewed due to the method in which they are viewed. A first hand experience of being embodied in the unknown of an abyss within Trollstigplataet cannot be fully achieved through image, however this lens can reveal and emulate an alternate secondary perception of the landscape.

The inquiry into ‘image’ and the tangible landscape allows for a further investigation into how an image, devoid of time, movement, and atmosphere, can communicate the realistic conditions along the journey through the Norwegian landscape. An image is a visual representation that is perceived subjectively, with the ability to portray the dynamic and ‘invisible’ conditions through imagination and thought. This investigation bridges the gap between the scientific and phenomenal, to draw upon the importance of multi-sensory spaces within Landscape Architecture through site and representation.

Through the investigation of the positioning and ideas proposed by theorists and practitioners such as Deleuze, Herzog, and Baudoin, provide a further understanding and insight into how the construct of an image can attach meaning and spirit to a landscape. Reiulf Ramstad places emphasis upon the importance of the natural, cultural, and historic aspects of the site elements, providing differing phenomenological experiences from various points of the journey.

The use of academic writing and case studies exploring representation, perception, and sensation of space will inform that the static image enables the construct and idea of the movements and temporalities of the open wilderness within Trollstigplataet.

Keywords:​ ​natural wilderness, unknown abyss, secondary lens. invisible dynamic conditions. intangible

TROLLSTIGPLATAET AND THE PERCEPTION OF LANDSCAPE: THE CONSTRUCT OF SECONDARY SENSATIONS THROUGH IMAGE Duyen Tamara Vo S3381811 Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology An image cannot fully express or evoke the first hand sensations as experienced within the physical landscape, however through the lens of the static image can reveal and emulate alternative and secondary sensation. This positioning is investigated through the static image in relationship to the tangible landscape, comparing the manifestation of first and secondary perceptions as a method to gain an understanding into the augmentation of the experience within Trollstigplataet.

The landscape is composed from both built and natural form, the physicality and materiality of elements which constitute Trollstigplataet enhances the experience through physical interaction. The exposure to shifting elements and dynamic conditions through touch, sound, and sight allows for an immersed encounter whereas experience through a single framed moment will not be able to achieve and evoke the same sensations.

The image is a visual representation that is perceived subjectively which allows for the manifestation of perceived phenomena; mood, and feeling, to be attributed to the illustrated landscape therefore does not deny sensation. However, through this lens alters the actual felt experience within the immediate surroundings.

Sensation can be stimulated from memory and meaning attached to the Norwegian landscape facilitated by its historical geological, and geographical layers throughout time. An image has the ability to convey these scientific layers of the landscape however the manifestation of the phenomenological experience facilitated by these conditions are augmented.

First and second hand experience of the landscape draw out particular qualities of the site, experiencing Trollstigplataet through the tangible; physicality of the built and natural, being fully immersed and exposed to the dynamic site conditions. The image does not deny the idea or thought of these conditions, however are viewed and understood through context, extent, and layout of the built form 1​ ​ through in relationship with the natural landform of the landscape. The importance of built material and form as stated by ​ Ewa Cisek​ her research paper titled ‘​ Sculpture in norwegian architecture ­ architectonic wo​ rk’, emphasises the beauty of the landscape enriching the identity of the Norwegian landscape and their close relations with nature and culture. The designed objects, form, and architecture reflect and connect with the existing forms and colours in the area further enhance the strong bond with nature and its natural conditions. The interrogation into built objects and form are reflected in the ​ Snefjord Resting Stop​ project by ​ Pushak Architects ​ as a part of The National Tourist Route Project in Norway, where materiality and form is used to emphasise and allow for the exposure to the atmospheric weathering conditions of the site. Experiencing the beauty of the wilderness of Trollstigplateat is facilitated by built form and consideration of material, the translation and representation through the image cannot grasp the extent of the appreciation for the natural beauty of the landscape. However, the re­drawing of Trollstigplataet effectively communicate the overall built structure with consideration for the natural formation of the existing landscape and evoke the sensation of a journey into the abyss.

The subjective manifestation of phenomena through thought and imagination can be stimulated from an image where the construct of the landscape as understood through image takes upon an abstraction of its own, separate from what may be experienced realistically.

An image devoid of time, movement, and atmosphere can communicate the realistic conditions along the Trollstigplataet journey to an extent, however these sensations cannot truly be replicated. In ​ Deleuze’s​ 2​ ​ critique of ​ T.E Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom states that image is an abstraction of our perception projected onto the tangible landscape and has the ability to “take on a life of its own .” Image is a projection machine allowing for the manifestation of subjective narratives and sensations to form. An image is a fixed representation of a snapshot in time of a particular location and cannot truly replicate the gradual realisations and experience of the shifting phenomena along the journey of Trollstigplataet. Phenomena within the immediate landscape is experienced through our senses in contrast to the static image, where phenomena is created through imagination.

Trollstigplataet seeks to draw upon the importance of the historical, geological, and geographical aspects of Norway through the selected locations and roads of the National Tourist Routes.The manifestation of these layers of the landscape correlate with the

creation of meaning, memory, and history associated to a particular location. These associations subjectively alters how the landscape is viewed and experienced as meaning and memory is created from personal experiences. An image has the ability to show these overlapping and underlying layers which attribute meaning to a landscape over time, the landscape is understood through scientific data to grasp an understanding of phenomena which are facilitated by these evolving site conditions.In the publication, ​ The Production 3​ of Space​ , by ​ Henri Lefebvre​ ​ states that the representation of space is directly lived and experienced through associated images, symbols, and historical attributes to the landscape. Drawing upon the importance of its geographical location and rich cultural history, Rondane was first established as one of eighteen selected roads on the National Tourist Route in Norway. An image titled ‘​ Winter’s 4​ Night in the Mountains​ ’ ​ by painter ​ Harald Sohlberg​ portray and captures the mood and atmospheric qualities of the lake and mountains of Rondane. The image evoke particular moods, sensations, and phenomena through colour and ambiguous space, this secondary experience of the landscape mimic the first hand experience within the actual landscape however fails to capture the dynamic and movement of conditions as the static image can only communicate a single event in time.

Image has the ability to evoke and reveal alternate perceptions of the landscape, where sensation is achieved and experienced through the tangible built and natural form, phenomena, dynamic conditions, and meaning and memory attached to the landscape. Through the lens of the image, the landscape as experienced first hand is skewed through this method, as the manifestation of sensation through thought and imagination takes upon an entity of its own separate from the actual. Trollstigplataet experienced through the tangible allows for an immersive encounter with the conditions of the natural landscape, drawing upon the beauty and importance of nature and its geographical location. The landscape as experienced through a secondary lens will augment the outcome of the sensations felt, where the landscape perceived is drawn upon a single frame shot in time.

References

1 Cisek, E. (2009). Sculpture in norwegian architecture - architectonic work. Architectus. [online] (Nr 1/2), pp.79-88.

Available at: http://www.architectus.arch.pwr.wroc.pl/25-26/25-26_09.pdf [Accessed 26 Aug. 2015].

2 Holland, E., Smith, D. and Stivale, C. (2009). Gilles Deleuze: Image and Text. 1st ed. [ebook] London: Continuum.

Available at: http://http://fs.oxfordjournals.org/content/65/2/276.full.pdf+html [Accessed 25 Aug. 2015].

3 Lefebvre, H. (1991). The Production of Space. [ebook] Oxford, OX, UK: Blackwell.

Available at: http://mars1980.github.io/Space/resources/Lefebvre-Production-of-Space-excerpts-1.pdf [Accessed 25 Aug. 2015].

4 Sohlberg, H. (1914). Winter's Night in Rondane, Norway. [Oil on Canvas] Oslo: National Museum.

Available at: http://www.norwegenservice.net/winternacht-in-rondane#pretty/11/ [Accessed 27 Aug. 2015].