People are constrained in terms of thought and interpretation, by the particular psychological discipline which functions throughout the broader society, based upon the present culture of time and place. Foucault argues that, “reality is constructed out of human consciousness and its ability to perform interpretations (McHoul & Grace 1993, A Foucault Primer: Discourse, Power and the Subject, p2).” Foucault “does not ask: who is in power? He asks how power installs itself and produces real material effects (McHoul & Grace 1993, A Foucault Primer: Discourse,Power and the Subject, p21).”
In order to understand the distinction between the natural and constructed, the designer must look beyond the subjective, to see through the elements attached by social influence; each element will then contrast between the pure, and the manufactured purity – what is real, and what is made to imitate real. Based on the observation of a landscape, the designer must acknowledge and understand the reason behind its formation; it is then possible to employ those same elements to perpetuate its legitimacy, to reinstall the memory of place. As time continues,different cultures will find new values from the same source (Desvigne, M, Dalnoky, C 1997, The Return of Landscape Architecture).
In regards to the discipline of design from Desvigne and Dalnoky, their intention is to look beyond the normalization of society’s discourse, not to simply return the land to an undulated state, but to restore it to the point that is possible to develop… an ‘intermediate landscape’ (Shedd Reed, P 2005, Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape, p30). The design of trees and plants within Rue de Meaux and Greenwich Peninsula were envisioned to be “adaptable and resilient to unpredictable demands as the surrounding areas continue to change in decades to come (Shedd Reed, P 2005, Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape, p30).” They are not attempting to combine the two elements, rather, change the landscape through the legitimacy of its authenticity, utilizing historical and present cultures to recreate awareness from the original foundations. Desvigne argues that designing anything more specific “would be premature in the absence of a firm program, an approach that has been described as a kind of calculated detachment (Shedd Reed, P 2005, Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape, p30).”
key words:Subjectivity Discourse Normalization Authenticity
References:
- Foucault, M 1970, The Order of Things; An Archeology of the Human Sciences, Travistock
- McHoul, A & Grace, W 1993, A Foucault Primer: Discourse, Power and the Subject, New York University Press, New York
- Shedd Reed, P 2005, Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape, The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Image References:
- Truong, Q 8 February 2009, The Lives of Others [online] http://www.quangtruong.net/?tag=michel-foucault [accessed 12 August 2010]
- Greenwich Peninsula London [online] http://www.cabe.org.uk/case-studies/greenwich-peninsular [accessed 10 August 2010]
- Rue de Meaux Housing [online] http://www.mimoa.eu/projects/France/Paris/Rue%20de%20Meaux%20Housing [accessed 10 August 2010]
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