Class Reflections, November 13th, 2008

The presentation on landscape form and processes proved to be very informative and quite inspiring as well. Dr. Ted McLaughlan spoke of the continuous processes that shape the land and the cycles of growth, death and decay inherent in our natural environment. He expressed the significance of human interaction with the landscape and the notable role we play in the way landscapes have evolved. One thing I found particularly interesting, was the concept of scale pertaining to landscapes. People usually view the land from a generalized perspective, rarely extremely close up and rarely from very far away. However, when looking at and thinking about a broad range of scales, from macro to micro, there is so much evidence in that landscape telling us about its history as well as its future. Knowing the processes occurring and that have occurred on a landscape at every scale is essential in making intelligent, sustainable choices. Humans have made very clear their imprint on this earth in their ability to alter and destroy natural landscapes. The extent to which we have reshaped the earth is so large that natural processes that were once sustainable are now completely destroyed. Our dependence on infrastructure has created huge a disconnect with the earth and in turn transformed the way we understand and respect the land. A return to allowing natural processes take their course is one way we can reshape how value the planet. Before any human intervention, nature regulated the environment intuitively. The solution is simply to rediscover these functions and embrace what is naturally there instead of creating engineered solutions to problems that can be solved much more organically.
The second half of the class centered around gardens, focusing more on an abstract definition of one. The idea of a garden conjuring up experiences, existing as a moment in time, was something I found so beautiful. The example of a floating garden, a triangle of flowers placed on the water, allowed to float freely and be transformed by the natural environment instilled a sense of hope within me. Perhaps it is this same idea of allowing nature to take it's course and acknowledging the beauty and usefulness in this process.