Modern Domestication of Nature

By Tyler Silvers

As cities become more and more dense with man-made constructions, the demand for creative allocation green spaces has risen substantially. Landscape architects are challenged to form space that speaks toward both the natural beauty of the site and cater to the human need for order and structure. In the process, however, modern urban landscapes seem to have lost much of what makes nature in itself a space that overflows with an unmatched splendor through the slow but steady domestication of nature in form.

Although beautiful, modern urban landscapes, such as Gabriel Guevrekian’s cubist garden at Villa Noailles, tend to cater more to the human need for structure rather than turning their focus on the natural forms and processes particular to the site before human occupation. With his cubist garden, Guevrekian seeks to form an elegant oasis for the occupants – with much success in this aspect. His use of formed concrete and subtle terraces lead the eye toward a central node while the triangular shape of the space plays on the perspective of the eye.  The design of the garden allows occupants to enjoy the elegance of the architect’s interpretation of the landscaped area. The garden focuses the viewer attention on just that – a highly domesticated space. Rather than enjoying the natural, native beauty in itself, occupants are enthralled with a diluted, stylized version of the architect’s vision for the site. On a grander scale, the effect designing more and more controlled environments creates an inaccurate representation of how “nature” truly defines itself; the interdependent ecosystems making up nature are lost in the folds of modern urban garden design.

Image Courtesy of stylepark.com

In order to reform the correct representation of nature in the minds of the general populace, designers have begun to look back to a time before the rise of urbanization. Alan Sonfist’s Time Landscape, for example, offers a new form of urban landscape that takes root deep in the history of the particular site – Manhattan, New York. Sonfist’s green space is designed around the idea of bringing back the landscape that was once prominent in the area before the arrival of Dutch settlers in the 17^th century. As noted by the New York Government Park Services, Sonfist conducted “extensive research” on the “botany, geology, and history” of the community and utilized native trees, shrubs, rocks, soil, and flowers to create a living memorial to the natural landscape that once dominated the area. The simple idea of the Time Landscape seems to have been well received in the surrounding community as people gathered to assist in the construction of and subsequent maintenance for the park. With his seemingly simple design, Sonfist provides an effective manner by which to reintroduce nature (in its true sense) into the context of the modern city.

Time Landscape: Past, Present, and Future

Painting by Paul Rodgers

As urbanization continues to rise and cities continue to advance, nature, in its true form, will continue to be diluted of purity. Perhaps one of the most effective manners by which to truly preserve natural form is to realize the loads of history below our feet.