Is There a Limit to What Should be Manipulated?

By Francisco G. Zambrano

     Last post was about how people like to use monumental architecture in order to manipulate people and their feelings. In this post, I would like to reflect on how we have come to want to control nature in order to manipulate the feelings and actions of others. This behavior can be witnessed in any kind of landscape ranging from a small backyard private garden to public urban parks.



Fig.1: Seed bombing the Raytheon Plant,
Santa Barbara, CA, 1992

 

     The first example that comes to mind, is the seed bomb project by Katherine Miller (Fig. 1). Even though her projects were not enclosed gardens or parks within a defined space, she was able to manipulate the way people felt when "interacting" with her gardens. By allowing people to simply purchase a little mud ball with seeds and throw it where ever their liking, it allowed the people to feel empowered about being able to make a change in their community and surroundings. Then, as time went by and the seeds bloomed, the people then could see their effect on the land and feel accomplished. It is interesting how even though the people can't always walk through the flowers that they "planted," simply the sight of them growing in the most unexpected places puts a smile on even the people who simply walk by. This example was one that is somewhat less manipulative than others. I would even say that it doesn't even manipulate people's feelings necessarily, but rather their actions and how they interact.
    

Fig.2: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011,
designed by Peter Zumthor.
Photo by Walter Herfst

     The previous project has no definitive space yet does manipulate at a small level. Now when we look at the 2011 Serpentine Pavilion in London by Peter Zumthor and Piet Oudolf, this is a manipulation that is strong in the physical aspect and emotional as well. You walk along a path in an open grassy area and then you come across this simple black rectangle that has no face nor an understanding of an entrance, simply three paths that lead to three random openings on the buildings' side. Then you enter a dark narrow corridor (Fig. 2), which gives you a feeling of confusion and pressure, but then see openings where light comes through on the opposite side from where you enter. You exit this dark corridor and enter the center space which is open with a garden of wild plants in the middle and nothing else. This calm and quiet site gives you relief from the busy surroundings of the pavilion. As stated by Arch Daily on June 27, 2011,  "(this is a)design that ‘aims to help its audience take the time to relax, to observe and then, perhaps, start to talk again – maybe not’, the materials are significant in aiding the design which emphasizes the role the senses and emotions play in our experience." The architects have manipulated the experience of the area with containing a simple wild flower garden within the dark structure. The manipulation, or experience, was achieved in a very simple way but was able to achieve its purpose in a very deep successful manner.

Fig. 3: My personal sketch of the Cubist Garden
by Gabriel Guevrekian.

    

     In these past examples, the manipulation of the passersbys was more of their emotions and actions that is achieved through an experience. In Gabriel Guevrekians' Cubist Garden in southern France, he has taken full control of the architecture and nature in order to manipulate the visitors emotions and experience. He has taken control of the type of vegetation, the growth style, the placement, basically every aspect, in order to achieve what he wants the visitors to experience. The manipulation of nature in this example, is very different in comparison to the last two, where nature was allowed to manipulate or rather effect the visitors naturally.
    

     These were just a very few examples of "gardens" that have been manipulated in order to manipulate the feelings and way of interaction of the visitors. It amazes me that we have been able to achieve something so complex as human emotions with the use of something so complex as nature. But I do believe there is a limit, where nature should be left as it wants to be, rather than manipulated to fit human desires.