Surprise in the landscape
Tony Milne from Rough and Milne ponders on the element of surprise and how the unexpected can elevate the sensory experience of design.
At the minute, I am deep into a most interesting read – The Winning Mindset, a book written by Professor Damian Hughes that explores what sport can teach us about great leadership.
What this has to do with landscape architecture, I am not sure. Rather, for me, more to do with keeping a team of landscape architects motivated, excited and enjoying their creativity. One chapter that piqued my interest somewhat was the one that focused on the use of the element of surprise in training sessions and the transferral of that into a game situation. Creating surprise to keep things interesting.
This also resonates with a research paper I read a while back about product design and the concept of setting a product apart from others by creating strong experiences and emotions through surprise. Back in 2005, the satin rose shower head did it for me, as did the plastic finger loop moulded toaster plug, a few years later. The enjoyment, and ease of removing the toaster plug from the electrical socket, was immeasurable.
Our ability to google anything and everything means we live in a very accessible world. Remotely, we can visually and audibly connect with places and landscapes. No need to be there. But the experience of a place is so much more than sight and sound; it is smell, touch, taste and surprise too.
This makes me think about a recent experience I had at O¯hinetahi. A wonderful juxtaposition of garden rooms, some formally laid out around two perpendicular axes linked by paths, steps, and expanses of lawn or those that happen informally within a woodland setting.
Meandering tracks and small timber bridges link the latter, taking you on a journey of discovery through an arboretum of magnificent exotic and regenerating native tree species. They happily fight with each other for light and prominence, both providing plenty of perch for the kereru and the inquisitive piwakawaka.
A magnificent setting for sculpture, the odd folly and a Corokia parterre too. Some you happen upon quite unexpectedly, others a controlled vista providing you with a visual clue. Mark White’s ‘The Receiver’ stands tall and powerful, in contrast to Pauls Dibble’s ‘Here I am’, which is a little more playful, waiting to be discovered amongst the clipped Buxus balls.
We endeavour to weave surprise, intrigue, and excitement into the landscapes we create. By doing so, we seek to heighten and elevate one’s sensory experience. The surprise of the unexpected, the spontaneity of an encounter, the breeze felt on a cheek, an unexpected view gained, the energy and anticipation associated with movement, too.
Making a space, place, setting and experience memorable.
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