The two day lecturer series entitled What is Landscape was set up to help people understand landscape architecture and what it is exactly about.
Senior Lecturer Pat Brown introduces a series of lecturers at kingston university on What is Landscape.
The first speaker in the two day lecture series was Christian Spencer-Davies from AModels a London based company who specialise in making contemporary architectural models. Although I am not a model maker and struggle creating evocative models I found this lecture very inspirational. Christian described how AModels created models that were projects and works of art in themselves and may not reflect the project such as other architectural models which use realistic trees, standard scale people and grass to create a realistic 3D representation of the proposal. Christian described such models as model rail models. An example of the beautiful sculptures AModels creates is a solid gold scale model of bdp offices in manchester. This lecturer really helped me understand a model should really be used to excite the client and public into wanting what is being proposed. It doesn't matter a bought every little detail but its about the presence and style in which the client wants to evoke.
Image: Anon., (2011). Portfolio [online] UK: Available from: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=249015245195984594&postID=1227541109551686470. [Accessed 19th April 2011]
I found Studio Weave were the most inspirational talkers at the event and related to me the most. The studio co founded by Je Ahn and Maria Smith is involved in all aspects of landscape design and small architectural design and installations. The main focus of this talk that I found the most interesting was how the studio developed their designs and final outcomes. They talked about when researching into a site, its background and history they would develop a storyboard about either a myth involved with the sites historic characters or a imagined character which they could imagine using the site. They would then design the project around this character adding elements into the design from the story or myth. I found this structure and way of working very helpful so much so that I am now structuring my projects in a similar way.
Image: Anon., (2011). Freya and Robin [online] UK: Available from: http://www.studioweave.com/projects/freya-and-robin-kielder-art-and-architecture/. [Accessed 19th April 2011]
The third lecture by Sam Johnston from Gustafson Porter was probably the most landscape based and is also probably the largest of the companies presenting. Gustafson Porter work in developing contemporary urban squares and public parks and is most noticeable famous for creating the Diana Princess of Wale Memorial Fountain in London’s Hyde Park. Gustafson Porter are known for creating very contemporary and beautifully detailed projects all with a strong style of crisp black and white lines and shapes of high quality materials such as granite. with every millimeter of the site accounted for which is certainly something I aspirer to and want to achieve when creating projects. For me designing the every detail and millimeter is the most enjoyable part of the design and this is were I found I related to Gustafson Porter.
Image: Anon., (2011). Old Market Square Nottingham [online] UK: Available from http://www.gustafson-porter.com/site.html. [Accessed 19th April 2011]
Will Sandy - Three Green Dots
The fourth speaker is a former Kingston University student who was studying his masters I believe when I had just started at the uni in my first year. Will’s talk was less about Landscape Architecture and more about how small installations and events can change a persons day in a positive or negative way. Will talked about his successful project of turning the hated parking ticket into a happy moment of relief. His project involved creating parking ticket mock ups which when opened had written inside compliments on the drivers parking. This may be a relatively small project aimed at certain individuals but I believe the aim of Wills talk was to inspirer future Landscape Architects and remind them to create projects which will have a positive effect on people and their day as a landscape and the environment has such a large but relatively overlooked effect on the members of public.
Image: Anon., (2011). The Fine Parking Company [online] UK: http://fineparkingcompany.wordpress.com/photos/ [Accessed 19th April 2011]
Trenton Oldfield This Is Not A Gateway
http://thisisnotagateway.squarespace.com/people/
The final speaker was Trenton Oldfield from This Is Not A Gateway. I believe the company is an organisation that aims at linking communities and people together through the better understanding of good urban planning. Trenton Oldfield’s main theme in the lecturer was about how many fences and barriers have been put into place throughout Britain and especially London. Trenton talked about how little need there is for these fences in public parks and how much of a large budget in landscape projects go towards just fences.
What is Landscape Lecturer Reflection
Well I still don't quite understand the full role of a Landscape Architect as the subject seems to have such a broad diversity of roles and jobs. The one thing I do know from threes years of studying this subject is that the environment and Landscape Architecture has such a large role and affect on people at an almost unconscious level with the smallest of details to the biggest of changes to the environment changing the whole experience of the site or even city. This is also what I got from the lecturer series as each individual had different roles from Will Sandy and his small installations and projects to Sam Johnston at Gustafson Porter who was involved in the much larger side of urban planning.
