Quote of the month

" It seems apparent that species are only commas in a sentence, that each species is at once the point and the base of a pyramid, that all life is related...And then not only the meaning but the feeling about species grows misty. One merges into another, groups melt into ecological groups until the time when what we know as life meets and enters what we think of a non-life: barnacle and rock, rock and earth, earth and tree, tree and rain and air. And the units nestle into the whole and are inseparable from it.... And it is a strange thing that most of the feelings we call religious, most of the mystical outcrying which is one of the most prized and used and desired reactions of our species, is really the understanding and the attempt to say that man is related to the whole thing, related inextricably to all reality, known and unknowable. This is a simple thing to say, but a profound feeling of it made a Jesus, a St. Augustine, a Roger Bacon, a Charles Darwin, an Einstein. Each of them in his own tempo and with his own voice discovered and reaffirmed with astonishment the knowledge that all things are one thing and that one thing is all things - a plankton, a shimmering phosphorescence on the sea and the spinning planets and an expanding universe, all bound together by the elastic string of time."

Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez, 1941 

in Kellert & Wilson (eds.), 1991 -The Biophilia Hypothesis, p. 55

March

A seminar on Digital Publishing inspired me to take up my blog. I haven't wrote in more than a month, although I do have things to say.

I have been working mostly on the concept of fractals, looking through their raw mathematical nature to try and see how they express in visual landscape. Indeed, it seems that what authors are discussing when they are talking about fractals in landscape, is merely the fractal-like properties of elements in landscape views.
These properties often reflect the complexity of the landscape,  or an indicator of the balance between order and disorder in the scene.

However, it is still not clear to me how the concept of  "fractal dimension" (usually applied to lines or patterns) can apply to a complex landscape scenes with different grounds and elements. What does it mean then?
Claims have been made that people tend to express a preference and a higher receptivity (physiologically, with lower stress levels and faster attention restoration) to scenes with a fractal dimension of D=1,3.
This fractal dimension is typically the one of clouds and mountain ranges, thus suggesting that human beings are being "tuned" to their environment (Taylor, 2006; Taylor et al., 2005).

But in reality fractals are mathematical objects. They do no exist in nature per se. They are produced by equations, which have been created (found) to model natural shapes that Euclidean geometry could not describe. The idea was to understand the geometry of objects such as coastlines. But it is important to understand that coastlines are not fractals. They have fractal-like properties and can be modeled by a fractal shape.

We are thus looking at an approximation, a model. When I will show landscape scenes to the participants of my experience, they will see a landscape and nothing else. The picture itself is not one of a fractal. It is only my own choices of interpretation which will determine the statistical properties of the image. The potential for bias is huge!

So, obviously, there is still a lot to be done for me to understand how fractal shapes express in landscape views and how to investigagte their potential influence on viewers' health. I am trying to write a short paper on that topic while waiting for the administrative paperworks to set up my experimentation at the NHS Lothian- University Hospital.



CHEUN K. C. & WELLS N. M., 2004 - The Natural Environment & Well-Being: Insights from Fractal Composition Analysis. HarFA - Harmonic and Fractal Image Analysis , pp. 76 - 82.
DUBOIS J. & CHALINE J., 2006 - Le monde des fractales. Paris: Ellipses Editions.
HAGERHALL C. M., PURCELL T. & TAYLOR, R., 2004 - Fractal dimension of landscape silhouette outlines as a predictor of landscape preference. Journal of Environmental Psychology (24), pp. 247–255.
TAYLOR R., 2006 - Reduction of Physiological Stress Using Fractal Art and Architecture. LEONARDO, 39 (3), pp. 245–251.
TAYLOR R., SPEHAR B., WISE J., CLIFFORD C., NEWELL B. & MARTIN T., 2005 - Perceptual and Physiological Responses to the Visual Complexity of Pollock's Dripped Fractal Patterns. Journal of Non-linear Dynamics, Psychology , 9, pp. 89-114.

February

I haven't written anything since last month, as I have been pretty busy with "real life" issues (understand: finding a part-time job to help me support my studies). Also, things seem to have come to a stand still PhD-wise. While my supervisors and I are planning a pilot experiment, something short, just to explore our possibilities concerning eye movements and fractal geometry in landscape, my brain keeps working backward and thinking that this isn't right. That this isn't what I am here for, this isn't what I wanted to do, and this isn't going to teach me anything interesting.
I am thus torn between those two conflicting forces, one pushing me forward, the other one holding me back. Of course it would be much easier if only I could define what it is exactly that I wanted. Or perhaps it doesn't matter and I should just go on now.
In any case, I try to keep on digging.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to anyone who is reading this!

The holidays are over and it's time to get back to work. Not that I didn't work during the holidays of course.
The essay I had to write for my Research Methods assignement is now 3 days late and still going. Will I ever be able to finish it? The issue is that I chose a topic 2 months ago, in a rush, and now that I actually have to write about it, I realise how little sens it makes.
To make a long story short, my idea was to write about healing and therapeutic gardens, and how the theory can be translated into practical design decisions. Something pretty basics and not innovatory in any way. Just a litterature-based essay with a bit of my own critical thoughts thrown in it. The idea was to illustrate this concept with examples from Anne Ribes' work (her association Belles Plantes has a website here: http://mapage.noos.fr/bellesplantes/).  Now it doesn't work so well, because a/ her work, as described in her book "Toucher la Terre" is purely therapeutical, with only very few input on landscape architecture. It's more her philosophy that matters then. And b/ I basically end up copying stuffs that have been done before, paraphrasing entire chapters, for a work that seems completely pointless.

On the side, something more fractals related: I downloaded HarFA (http://www.fch.vutbr.cz/lectures/imagesci/) an experimental software performing fractal analysis. Now I am working on understanding how to use it properly but I know it does exactly what I need, namely: calculating the fractal dimension of a picture with the box counting method.

What I will do with this is still undefined of course. I am working on developping three proposals for potential topics, with pros and cons and everything.  Then we will chose.

So January is starting off. Now let's go back to work.

Seminar presentation

Last week, I had to present my work again, but this time in front of the PhD students of the ECA, regardless of their discipline.  There were about 7 or 8 people from very different backgrounds (Moving images, Documentary, Landscape architecture, etc), who got into a very lively discussion after my presentation. The concept of space versus static images, the significance of symbols and colours, the value of aesthetic education to the aesthetic experience, etc. All these topics seem to provoke quite a lot of thinking, and I am really glad to see that for the most part, people tend to respond positively to my project.
Tomorrow starts the last week before the Christmas break. I still have lots of things to do, including presenting the schema that will explain my intentions.
What I presented last week included a first idea of the thesis I will try to defend, the core idea of my project: There is a universal aesthetic response to natural environment that is intimately linked with a positive physiological response to distinct organic elements.
Of course this is not exactly what I mean, and I still need to work on it.
My research questions also seem to be evolving. the last time I had a meeting with my supervisor, Peter Aspinall, we started talking about working with people with minor visual impairment. It would be indeed a good way to assess the importance of the visual aspect in the experience of outdoor space.
There are just so many different possibilities, steming from a single (but very large) idea. It is definitely not easy to chose which path to take. Also because fundings and opportunities for publication will depend on it.

Conference poster

I have been pretty busy this past week with organising the conference and preparing my own presentation.
Principally I did this:  The programme booklet of the conference, all made from scratch by the Programme team.

And this is what I presented:

Now, the whole conference is part of our assesment for the Research Methods Course I am taking along with all the first year research students at the ECA and the University of Edinburgh. Actually the poster I presented (and the paper I will have to write before january) doesn't have much to do with what I want to study for my PhD  anymore (but what do I want to study). It is more an excercise on writing and presenting, than a real scientific work. And that's good because after only two months, I don't think I could have produced anything better than that!

Unfortunately, the stress is not over. I only have two more weeks to go but they include a ton of emails to write, a presentation to make next wednesday and to finish all the things I said "will be done by december" ! Yes, that includes deciding on a topic.

Quote of the day

 Today, a guest:

"I found myself lying on the bank of a cart-road in the sand, with no prospect whatever but a small aspen tree against a blue sky. Languidly, but not idly, I began to draw it and as I drew; the languor passed away: the beautiful lines insisted on being traced, without weariness. More and more the beautiful they became, as each rose out of the rest, and took its place in the air. With wonder increasing every instant, I saw that they 'composed' themselves, by finer laws than any known to man. At last the tree was there and everything that I had thought before about trees, nowhere."

John Ruskin, Praeterita

Conference and abstract

        A few weeks ago, we had to write an abstract for a paper that we'll have to submit in January. This abstract has been reviewed by two of my fellow students, and my supervisor.  I am now happy to submit it to you online!
       I will present this paper (or, more exactly, the global content of the paper) at a conference next Tuesday. It is part of our assessment, for the Reserch Methods Course of the University, that we have to organise a conference all together to present our work.
       This year's title of the conf is:  

Kaleidoscopes and Cacophonies - Contemporary Research to be Seen, Felt and Heard

It will be in St Cecilia's Hall, from 9 to 16:30, on the 1st of December. All the details are here :  http://pgrm09.eca.ac.uk/




And here is my abstract:

         In the past fifty years, numerous researches have shown evidence that natural  elements and settings have a positive influence on human health and well-being (Ulrich, 1983; Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989). Such findings opened the way towards a new vision of landscape as a healing environment, and various possibilities both for landscape architects and medical practitioners, from the design and construction of healing gardens to the development of activities such as garden therapy. However, not every garden is a healing garden and even less a therapeutic one.

        Furthermore, different populations have different needs and call for different answers. What are then the possibilities opened by these recent researches? How can these theories be applied in the practice of landscape architecture?

        This literature-based essay attempts to provide a few general guidelines for landscape architects confronted with the problematic issue to “not only create a place but also facilitate a process” (Cooper Marcus and Barnes, 1999). It consists of two parts.

        The first part offers a brief overview of the main theories and researches concerning the positive effects of natural environments. These findings will then be analysed to discuss their applications in landscape design, stressing the different interpretations that exist depending on the theoretical approach adopted. This first part will conclude with an outline of the main design principles developed throughout the years relating to the construction of healing or therapeutic gardens.

        The second part is a presentation of how some of these fundamental theories can come to life in the case of therapeutic gardens, through an exploration of the work of Anne Ribes. French garden therapist in the hospital la Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris and creator of the “Belles Plantes” association, Mrs Ribes was the very first person in France to try and establish garden activities in hospitals. Through two examples of her experience with Alzheimer patients and autistic children, it will be demonstrated that here too, different interpretations and design principles exist depending on the needs of the population the garden is built for.

      As a whole, there are still many aspects of the relationship between people and their environment that are left unknown. Some potential research topics will be suggested that would be relevant to develop the understanding of the effects of natural environment on human health. However, this essay stresses the fact that the starting point for creating a garden should always be an informed and clear intention and mostimportantly a thorough analysis of the needs of the population it is built for.

COOPER MARCUS C. & BARNES M., 1999 – Healing gardens : Therapeutic benefits and design recommendations. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
KAPLAN R. & KAPLAN S., 1989 - The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press.
RIBES A., 2006 – Toucher la Terre: Jardiner avec ceux qui souffrent. Paris: Medicis.
STIGSDOTTER U.A. & GRAHN P., 2002 - What makes a garden a healing garden?. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture (13) pp 60-69.
ULRICH R., 1983 - Aesthetic and affective response to natural environment. In I. Altman & J. Wohlwill (Eds.), Human behavior and environment: Vol. 6 (pp. 85–125). New York: Plenum Press.

Presentation and diagram

          Yesterday, I had my first presentation at the University. Every monday we have a seminar for all the PhD students in Landscape Architecture. I had to present my project, in whatever form it was and explain what I wanted to do with it. It went fairly well and I had a good feedback. I am aware that I am still swimming in ideas rather than developing a proper structure for the work I will eventually had to do.

All in all, I am glad that I had to face this challenge, to actually put my ideas down and explain them to people who will have an opinion on it.

          I am still working on a A4 diagram that could explain my study. So far I came up with these two (the pictures are snapshot of my presentation).

         The first diagram is a very short summary of what happens between a passive individual and the organic environment he is in, in terms of physiological reaction.

        The second one is what we see if we take a closer look at what happens inside, where the environmental perception provokes the physiological response. On one hand we have the evolutionnary theories of instinct, while on the other we have the cultural filters of religion and education. And somewhere in the middle lies the visual experience of nature, maybe both instinctive and acquired.

         I give myself until the end of december to come up with an actual diagram that could summarize this while explaining at the same time what I intend to do with it.

Word Cloud

www.wordle.net

Quote of the day and a short exploration of Jung's ideas on mental structure

About studying and describing the human mind:

"[We] have ... to describe and to explain a building the upper story of which was erected in the nineteenth century; the ground floor dates from the sixteenth century, and a careful examination of the masonry discloses the fact that it was reconstructed from a dwelling-tower of the eleventh century. In the cellar, we discover Roman foundation walls, and under the cellar a filled-in cave, in the floor of which stone tools are found, and remnants of glacial fauna in the layers below. That would be a sort of picture of our mental structure. We live in the upper story, and are only dimly aware that our lower story is somewhat old-fashioned. As to what lies beneath the superficial crust of the earth we remain quite unconscious." (Jung, 1928)

Following this metaphor, Jung goes on to explain that human mind is divided in three levels: consciousness, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. The personal unconscious is characterized as "more or less superficial"(1959) and

" made up essentially of contents which have at one time been conscious but which have disappeared from consciousness having been forgotten or repressed."

The collective unconscious is the most interesting, for Jung as well as for me. Indeed it contains informations and ideas that "have never been in consciousness, and therefore have never been individually acquired, but owe their existence exclusively to heredity" (1959). These ideas and informations are then known as "archetypes", are shared by all individuals and are then similar to instincts.

Jung suggests (1959): " there is good reason for supposing that the archetypes are the unconscious images of the instincts themselves, in other words, that they are patterns of instinctual behaviour."

 According to Bourassa (1988), the collective unconscious thus described by Jung would be the locus of archetypes "which are images of the instincts coming into play in man's experience of landscape."

This vision is particularly interesting as it encompasses the evolutionnary assumptions (according to which we prefer organic environments for their potential resources and shelter that would satisfy our instinctive needs and therefore promote our survival), as well as the recognition that a part of our mental structure is strictly human, with our own activities and tastes and our ability to enjoy art.

 BOURASSA S.C, 1988 - Toward a Theory of Landscape Aesthetics. Landscape and Urban Planning: Vol.15 (pp 241-252).

JUNG C.G., 1928 - Contributions to Analytical Psychology. New York: Harcourt Brace.

JUNG C.G., 1959 - The Archetypes and the Collecitive Unconscious. New York: Pantheon..

Quote of the day

Isn't it amazing where you find a quote that says exactly what you would like to say?
Like this one:

Porteous (1966) In Hartig and Staats, 2006:

“Yet it would seem especially important to discover if scenes that are ‘good to see’ are simply good aesthetically (i.e good to think or good to feel) or whether such aesthetic satisfactions have deeper implications, such as the promotion of physical well-being and mental health."

HARTIG T. & STAATS H., 2006 - Linking preference for environments quality. In: B. Tress, G. Tress, G. Fry & P. Opdam (Eds.), From Landscape Research to Landscape Planning (pp. 279-293). Dordrecht, Pays-Bas : Springer. (p.2)

Some documents and links

What a better day to start a Monday than to be in a curious explorative mood?
Here are some stuffs that could satisfy a thirst of knowledge!

First of all: the PhD proposal I submitted to enter the Edinburgh College of Art (ECA). Even though it grew and evolved since the time I wrote it (february 09), it still posess the basics of the ideas I wanted to develop.
Draft Proposal- Beauty as Therapy

Then: A short list of links that I like, use and thus want to share!

• The website for the International Community of Ecopsychology
  
• Seeds for thoughts: a blog by the International Community of Ecopsychology  
• Seeds for thoughts: Amy Lenzo on Art & The Environment

Et en français!

• Le site de France Nature Environnement 
• Le site de l'Association Eclore à Bordeaux 
• Le blog de l'Association Eclore

There will be many more to come soon.
 Enjoy!

To get started...

     A few weeks ago, I stepped into the gigantic and slightly scary world of academia. I am a 23 year old french student and I just started my MPhil in landscape architecture, at the Edinburgh College of Art. These are my first weeks in Scotland, as well as my first weeks finally studying in a real university. I graduated from the National Institute of Horticulture in Angers last december, with a Master's degree in landscape engineering. It is what we French call a "école d'ingénieur", 5 years of high-school like schedule and no real possibility of independance or choice in the courses.

     Now the context is quite different. I chose my topic and my field, and it is my own responsability to carry it out succesfully. To help me do that, and also to share my undying enthusiasm for my topic, I decided to go out of my little researcher's bubble and let you know what it is exactly that I am doing. Throughout the next months and probably years, I will post here everything that I feel everybody should know about Nature, its inherent Beauty and how we (as human beings, as animals) react to it. I will share with you articles, essays, excerpts, quotes, but mostly bits of my own thoughts regarding the evolution of my project, from the idea to the completed thesis.

    In exchange I will warmly welcome any feedback/critic/comment you may have regarding this blog and its content.

     To give you a first taste of it, I should probably start by explaining what it is exactly that I am studying. In one word (or a hundred), there have been many studies in the past 50 years that proved that organic environments (forest, parks, gardens, fields, etc.) had a positive effect on human health (Ulrich, 1983; Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989). Namely, researchers have looked at health issues such as stress, depression, recovery after surgery, and in some special contexts, autism and Alzheimer's disease (Cooper Marcus and Barnes, 1999; Ribes, 2006; Ulrich, 1983). In all these cases, the contact with an organic environment was proved to have a significant positive influence. In this framework, some researchers explained this fact by an evolutionnary theory: human beings are attracted to places that offer them the best resources, as well as shelter and a prominent view on their potential enemies. As evolution required that we looked for these assets, we naturally developed an instinctive taste for it (Ulrich, 1993).

     Parallel to these findings, are the first steps of the field of environmental aesthetics, which mission was to look at Beauty and aesthetics as being not only the privilege of art but also visible in everything around us.(Bourassa, 1988). Some even said that the positive effects of  natural environments were actually the result of experiencing Beauty to such an extent that it could affect us physiologically (Ulrich et al., 1991). And that's where I step in (sort of). Can Beauty really heal? How does the visual experience of natural elements compare to the visual experience of works of art? What is the link between environmental aesthetics and well being? What's the magic behind that?

So, hopefully, that is what we are going to find out!

Hope you'll enjoy the trip!

Agnès Patuano

BOURASSA S., 1988 – Toward a Theory of Landscape Aesthetics, Landscape and Urban Planning: Vol. 15 (pp 241-252).

COOPER MARCUS C. & BARNES M., 1999 – Healing gardens : Therapeutic benefits and design recommendations. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

KAPLAN R. & KAPLAN S., 1989 - The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press.

RIBES A., 2006 – Toucher la Terre: Jardiner avec ceux qui souffrent. Paris: Medicis. 
ULRICH R., 1983 - Aesthetic and affective response to natural environment. In I. Altman &J. Wohlwill (Eds.), Human behavior and environment: Vol. 6 (pp. 85–125). New York: Plenum Press.

–––, 1993 - Biophilia, Biophobia, and natural landscapes. In S. R. Kellert &E. O. Wilson (Eds.), The Biophilia hypothesis. Washington:Island Presss.

ULRICH R., SIMONS R., LOSITO B. et al, 1991 - Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology: Vol. 11 (pp. 201-230)