Scenery is the fundamental element in garden construction.
Establishing scenery implies the presence of a human gaze, which takes in the scenery.
Scenery emerges out of opportunity.
It is the introduction of buildings in appropriate place that create a sequence of sceneries which form contrasts and oppositions that retain the visitor's interest. A successful garden is one where the scenery changes at each step, providing new viewpoints created by intentional framing processes.
Conceptual principles entail notions of -Seperation, Quest, Suggestion and Passage- 4 tempos of the score establishing link between inside and outside, the illusion of spatial continuity between the foreground and background.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Kite Dreams
"Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country" --Anais Nin
Earth Day is April 22nd. Get a kite and fly it from a rooftop! Imagine 1,000 kites flying from the rooftops of Chicago!!! Imagine 5,000 kites changing the scenery of our urban home! Imagine 10,000 kites fying as a symbol of our Community's belief in dreams!!! Imagine 1,000,000 kites across the skyline, a message to the rest of the world!
Be the Missing Link!
Earth Day is April 22nd. Get a kite and fly it from a rooftop! Imagine 1,000 kites flying from the rooftops of Chicago!!! Imagine 5,000 kites changing the scenery of our urban home! Imagine 10,000 kites fying as a symbol of our Community's belief in dreams!!! Imagine 1,000,000 kites across the skyline, a message to the rest of the world!
Be the Missing Link!
Environmental Psychology: Tiepolo and Wurzburg Palace
In the mid-1700's, an Italian fresco painter was asked to paint the ceiling of a German palace. In the planning of the fresco, the artist considered the viewers point of view, so much that the results were chilling.
A Grand Scenery: Christo and Jean Claude's "The Gates"
Christo and Jean-Claude's grand visions have enchanted the world. Here are some drawings and photos from "The Gates", a project that temporarily engaged the citizens of New York to participate in seeing a public space in an "extraordinarily different way and [with] exciting new alignments... the experience has consistently been one of revelation."
Rooftop U2
One of the most chilling performances I've ever seen (even if just a video) Be the Missing Link!!!
Flashmob!!!
This is what I imagine the power of togetherness being like! A massive amount of energy and enthusiasm starting a momentum that gives you chills. Be the Missing Link!!!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
46th Ward
Congratulations to James Cappleman!
I met Mr. Cappleman about 6:30 on the day of the election and told him about my idea of a community-based initiative around the idea of "Being the Missing Link". Mr Cappleman's reply was of great interest.
It is exciting to think of the possibilities of the fruits of Community relationships and I am working with great conviction in resourcing information to ensure Missing Link Uptown/Chicago with sustained success.
I met Mr. Cappleman about 6:30 on the day of the election and told him about my idea of a community-based initiative around the idea of "Being the Missing Link". Mr Cappleman's reply was of great interest.
It is exciting to think of the possibilities of the fruits of Community relationships and I am working with great conviction in resourcing information to ensure Missing Link Uptown/Chicago with sustained success.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Uptown Wednesday Night
If you've ever been near the Wilson Red Line stop in Uptown, you no doubt have seen a number of people "loitering". In general, it is an atmosphere of anxiety to the casual passer-by who may be concerned for their safety.
Last night around 9:30 I passed through the area and something was very different. Aside from the massive snow drifts being gone and the construction barriers from Truman College gone, the sidewalks were empty. There were no thugs, rif-raf, loiterers or whatever it is that is politically correct to call them. There wasn't even trash on the ground. It was serene. The whole area seemed... nice. It was liberating in a way. I felt relieved of the concern to wear a stone-face and keep my eyebrows down. The yellow halogen street lamps cast a simple warm glow that matched the sound of the music in my headphones. My neighborhood had been cleaned.
With the passing of Winter and a new mayor being elected, I couldn't help but feel a certain civic sentiment of hope and healing for Uptown. I laid awake for hours soaking in my amazement at what I felt on that street corner... alone. But it's not about being alone that I was thinking about, but my neighbors and our local government and the diversity of my neighborhood and the changes that it has experienced in recent past. Uptown is being re-born and there is an oppurtunity for the people who live there to shine light in places that have been dark. I thought about other ways that might improve the quality of our neighborhood and the biggest idea was participation.
As a trend, popular American culture is rife with identity affriming narcissism (probably because that is what fuels consumption and impulse spending). It is difficult to feel "intimacy" and "community" when social identity groups are all making claim to be "included" into the greater social narrative simply by Right rather than participation. The time has come that the greater social norm IS acceptance, but acceptance only lasts when there is value to sustain it. The value of being in a group or a community is not about the group accepting you, but you acting as a member within the group and making a contribution to the overall value of the group. It is a pitiful group that does not expect anything of it's members.
And so it is here that I propose a community initiative to "be the missing link". By very definition, we acknowledge a space that needs to be filled in our community. By definition, we acknowledge that something is missing. There is a part, a link, in a series of links that are asking to be connected to increase the quality and general wellness of our community. It is by the collective vision of a better standard of living that we aspire to have clean sidewalks and a safe passage to the grocery store. It is by particpating in neighborly behavior that we can make our time together feel welcoming and encouraging and healing.
Last night around 9:30 I passed through the area and something was very different. Aside from the massive snow drifts being gone and the construction barriers from Truman College gone, the sidewalks were empty. There were no thugs, rif-raf, loiterers or whatever it is that is politically correct to call them. There wasn't even trash on the ground. It was serene. The whole area seemed... nice. It was liberating in a way. I felt relieved of the concern to wear a stone-face and keep my eyebrows down. The yellow halogen street lamps cast a simple warm glow that matched the sound of the music in my headphones. My neighborhood had been cleaned.
With the passing of Winter and a new mayor being elected, I couldn't help but feel a certain civic sentiment of hope and healing for Uptown. I laid awake for hours soaking in my amazement at what I felt on that street corner... alone. But it's not about being alone that I was thinking about, but my neighbors and our local government and the diversity of my neighborhood and the changes that it has experienced in recent past. Uptown is being re-born and there is an oppurtunity for the people who live there to shine light in places that have been dark. I thought about other ways that might improve the quality of our neighborhood and the biggest idea was participation.
As a trend, popular American culture is rife with identity affriming narcissism (probably because that is what fuels consumption and impulse spending). It is difficult to feel "intimacy" and "community" when social identity groups are all making claim to be "included" into the greater social narrative simply by Right rather than participation. The time has come that the greater social norm IS acceptance, but acceptance only lasts when there is value to sustain it. The value of being in a group or a community is not about the group accepting you, but you acting as a member within the group and making a contribution to the overall value of the group. It is a pitiful group that does not expect anything of it's members.
And so it is here that I propose a community initiative to "be the missing link". By very definition, we acknowledge a space that needs to be filled in our community. By definition, we acknowledge that something is missing. There is a part, a link, in a series of links that are asking to be connected to increase the quality and general wellness of our community. It is by the collective vision of a better standard of living that we aspire to have clean sidewalks and a safe passage to the grocery store. It is by particpating in neighborly behavior that we can make our time together feel welcoming and encouraging and healing.
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