©2003 mark laurence
design principles note no. 1020
subject: |
The best qualities in a garden arise as intangible elements. |
problem: |
Intangible elements cannot be built or perceived directly. |
Does this space have intangible elements? I think so and the owners would agree. Any time you site here the atmosphere is good. This space is situated on the north side of a house, where you would expect the light to be poor, yet morning and afternoon sun slant in, giving dramatic light, and at midday it is pleasantly shady.
When you see beautiful pictures of gardens, it is really the intangible elements that you are admiring. A well designed space will resonate with qualities and a skilled photographer will capture the best light, the best angle that brings out the uniqueness of the place.
It can be harder for the real space to generate these qualities than for the photographer, who only has to capture a fleeting moment. The real space must, in order to succeed, generate such things naturally and at all times.
problem:
It is difficult to build something and be unsure of the end result. But the fact is, something can be well constructed, even beautifully crafted, yet still look intrinsically wrong in proportion, location, style or in some other indefinable way.
Plans can all too often only convey the hard structure, not the feel. If the builder does not know, or is not allowed to make those small adjustments necessary to settle the construction solidly in its place, then the end result will suffer. Likewise if the designer imposes arbitrary style or does not have the experience to know how the ideas will take form. Most of all, it will fail if the designer does not understand the necessity of working with intangible elements.
solution:
By its nature, this is one of the hardest design notes to write - finding tangible words to express intangible elements is even harder than manifesting them in real life! And I can only really illustrate the effects of light and shadow. Sound, scent and movement are beyond illustration. Likewise, in the end, it comes down to being intuitive in your work and skilled with your hands. If this then, is the vaguest of design notes, it is also the most important.
Is water an intangible element? Unlike air, you can hold it in your hand, yet only for a moment. And it has so many mysterious qualities that I think it is.
It is really a holistic concept, whereby "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts"
I would suggest that intangible elements can only be generated as a result of good proportioning, careful construction using good materials and inspired planting. It's not so much the physical structures that generate a sense of place, but the volume of space they contain, the aspects of light they hold or reflect, the sounds they baffle or magnify. Perception of these things is a rather uncertain matter unless one finds the base level to which all people respond.
The second design note, Many Layers (1002) suggests the way for manifesting intangible elements. Build depth and solidity into your work, apply layer upon layer to build up the whole. Take care in your construction - don't do poor, or merely adequate work - it will always show.
Most of all, don't apply a TV gloss finish over flimsy work, for such work soon fails. Week-end TV make-overs have a lot to answer for.
Finally, let your work stand the test of time - if you have built well, time and the mellowing of all things will enhance your work - but if you have built badly, it will merely decay it. As gardeners, we have the advantage of watching our work, and especially our plants, mature and improve with age. The garden is never static, and time becomes the most intangible element of them all.
summary:
- It is the volume contained that is special, not the container
- Think in abstracts, not just bricks & mortar
- Imagine aspects of light and shade and time
- Think of movement, sound and scent
- Allow a holistic process to occur
- Build a sense of place, using many layers