THINKING ABOUT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
the central feature. Often the central feature is a fountain or covered kiosk structure serving as a gathering place or stage, a feature common in Latin America. A dense canopy of broad-leaf trees shades the garden.
Chinese Garden of Paradise Reference to paradise also informed the design of traditional Chinese gardens. The selection and placement of large boulders are a common refrain in these gardens. The boulders were selected from favorite locations of the garden owners and served as symbols reminding them of these landscapes of memory. The term “memory garden” is often used Figure 5.18 The Garden of Flowering Fragrance, Huntington to describe the traditional Chinese gardens. In addiGardens, Pasadena, CA. Chinese garden designed by artisans tion to the selection and placement of rocks and from the city of Suzhou, China. boulders, plants and water were carefully arranged to complement the story of a landscape of memory or paradise and an idealized vision of nature (see Figure 5.18).
Landscape as Art Artists, those trained and/or who practice creating art, contribute to constructed landscapes either on their own or in collaboration with landscape architects. The examples presented here are landscape projects where the hand of an artist utilized the canvas of a landscape for artistic expression.
The Getty Center, Westwood, California The J. Paul Getty Foundation constructed a new campus4 in the hills above Westwood in Los Angeles, California. The site was developed in phases over a number of years with several landscape architects involved at each phase. The office of Laurie Olin designed the outdoor spaces around the museum and administrative complex of buildings. The lower garden pictured in Figure 5.19 was designed by Robert Irwin, a Southern Californian artist in association with Spurlock Poirier landscape architects (1992–1997). The landscape design for this portion of the site approaches the spaces just as an artist would work on canvas. The artist approached the arrangement and the selection of plant species, the alignment of the walks and walls, and the lower fountain to create a piece of art. In this case, the art was meant to be experienced as well as to be looked at and appreciated. The artist used plants, stone, and water, as he would apply paint on a canvas. The resulting composition can be viewed from the upper exterior terraces as well as viewed from inside the buildings. Figure 5.19 The Getty Center (1997), lower gardens, Los The design concept applied to the majority of Angeles, California, by Robert Irwin sculptor with Spurlock the site reflected an approach where the outdoor Poirier landscape architects. 100
