Many of the themes Lori discussed in her lecture about "Civic Engagement" pertain to our studio class. Her comparison about the power of fine art and landscapes is something many of us can identify with. More uniquely, however, she makes a connection of this feeling over to the urban context. The sense of community is strong in our great cities such as New York, especially in the public spaces like Central Park or Columbus Circle. However, what offers a greater challenge is the assignment to create a space that hinders a sense of community in rural, or even wilderness settings. Lori then began to explore the very definition of community. Is it a political boundary, a specific experience a group shares, a natural feature, or a type of person? How can these all be personified in a designed space?
My favorite of the projects she showed us during the lecture was the meditation area near the banks of the Yellowstone. The attention to concept and detail across various scales of the site is a skill that I admire, and struggle with as a student. Particularly how they treated the different entry markers at each end of the site. Those features in combination with the trail markers which were tuned to make music in the wind, to the impressive craft/ function of the different meditation areas gave the design a unique and thorough feeling.
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