Guest Lectures Seminar Concepts of Landscape 2010

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Theories and Concepts of Landscape (October 19, 2010)

Dóra Drexler: European Landscape Perceptions. Understanding our thinking about landscapes in Europe

Vita:

Dóra Drexler is a Hungarian landscape architect. She studied at the Corvinus University of Budapest and the Technical University of Munich. She has acquired her Ph.D. in 2010 at the Department of Landscape Ecology of the Technical University of Munich. Her research topic was the cultural-historical analysis and comparison of the landscape perceptions in England, France, Germany and Hungary. Dóra received the scholarship of the Hungarian Republic, she was a fellow of the German Federal Environment Foundation (DBU) and the Free State of Bavaria.

Dóra is currently working as a freelance landscape architect in Budapest.

Lecture contents:

This presentation gives a brief overview of the European ideas of landscape, their historical roots, special characteristics, and current relevance for the landscape architectural practice. The students will be introduced to the cultural-historical research approach to landscape. They will be actively involved in reflecting on the ideals guiding our landscape perceptions and appreciation.

Galen Newman: AMERICAN LANDSCAPE DESIGN THEORY: An Evolving Body of Knowledge

Vita:

• Ph.D. of Planning, Design, and the Built Environment from Clemson University: Clemson, SC: Aug., 2010
• Master of Landscape Architecture from Auburn University, Auburn, AL May, 2006
• Master of Community Planning from Auburn University: Auburn, AL May, 2006
• Bachelors of Environmental Design from Auburn University: Auburn, AL May, 2004

"My current teaching experience encompasses all scales of design but primarily emphasizes urban and community scaled projects. While my academic background consists of a community planning degree concentrating on urban design and biophysical relationships, a landscape architecture degree concentrating on cultural landscape studies, and a Ph.D. which crossed disciplines and assessed correlations between land preservation and infrastructural preservation, my teaching specializations concentrate on advanced representation techniques through multiple (mostly digital) media, and studio and seminar formatted classes."

Lecture contents:

The theoretical foundation of American landscape architecture is a kaleidoscope of ideologies inherited and adapted from other cultures. This creates a situation where the profession is reliant on multiple theoretical premises rather than a singular formula for all design schemes. Landscape Architecture, in America, has then taken on a position that landscape is a system of processes and the design of these systems is a problem solving technique which is based on the premise that quality of life for individuals and society benefits from the creation of harmonious and mutually supportive relationships between people and the environment. Each generation is charged to pass the landscape on in a better condition to their inheritors.

Future Landscapes (November 23, 2010)

Simon Bell: Future landscapes in Europe - drivers, pressures and responses

Vita:

Professor Dr Simon Bell is a forester and landscape architect, Head of Department of Landscape Architecture at the Estonian University of Life Sciences and Associate Director of the OPENspace Research Centre at Edinburgh College of Art. He has recently carried out research into landscape change, quality of life, peri-urban landscape change processes and perceptions of landscape change at a European and national scale (focusing on Latvia). He has focused on larger-scale landscapes in his design practice and has published many books and papers, including a number of textbooks.

Lecture contents:

The landscape of Europe has always been dynamic. The main drivers have been population dynamics, technological development and political and economic transitions. This lecture will present some aspects of the changes expected to occur over the course of the next 20 years within the framework of some global scenarios. It will demonstrate how these changes are often linked across the continent and will illustrate a new classification of landscape types at a European scale. Questions will be asked about the way similar processes operate in other continents, countries and regions.

Key reference: http://landscaperesearch.livingreviews.org/Articles/lrlr-2010-2/

Fernando Martinez Agustoni: The sens on/of Landscape Design

Vita:

• Forest Agricultural Engineering / Licensed on Fine Arts at the University of the Republic of Uruguay
• Post Graduate University of Buenos Aires on Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety
• Coordinator of the Master program on Landscape
• Professor of Landscape Theory and Methodology of landscaping project of the University Institute BIOS
• Professor of Design Theory in the EUCD, Faculty of Architecture, University of the Republic of Uruguay
• Professor of Aesthetics and Art Theory at the Faculty of Arts at the University of the Republic of Uruguay
• Fellow of the College International de Philosophie in Paris in two opportunities.

Lecture contents:

Through this lecture, we'll introduce some elements that we understand may be a contribution to the discussion of conceptual issues around the Landscape Design. In particular we are concerned with a question for us to ponder. The question is: ¿how to order these concepts inherent of Landscape Design? Practically, the search for a conceptual order and a sens for the Landscape Design actions, means ultimately the attempt to retake a theoretical foundation for this discipline. On this occasion, we will refer to some epistemological aspects of the transdiscipline and propose an approach to Landscape Design from this.