To my beloved homeland and my people
To Huong Ha Mai and Thu Ha Thi with my great attitude for their great help. Without them, this small project could not be done.
" What she, the landscape is trying to say to you, this is her love letter to you" (Askley Jackson)
WHERE DOES THE STORY BEGIN ? Everything started in Paris when I was visiting villa Savoye designed by Le Corbusier, a revolutionary and visionary Swiss architect. I enjoyed walking along the architecture promenade and experiencing its space. When I was about to finish my architecture walk which ended at the terrace top, what I saw was unforgettable and left a deep impression: there was a rectangular opening on the wall facing the back yard of the villa. It was like a painting created by nature. I was mesmerized watching the landscape through this opening. It seemed that it was not there for the sake of it. Later, the tour guide explained that Le Corbusier before becoming an architect, used to be an artist, so he placed an opening with landscape portion to observe the back yard. Yes, this time, he let the nature to render her own master piece. This was a touching story. There is also another building designed by Le Corbusier , the cilla Le Lac in Lake Geneva, Switzerland which gives the same impression, it is not a window, it is a frame of a painting. Personally I think, this is a nice lesson for designers, especially architects to perceive the environment, how we define it is really fundamental, " is it landscape or territory ? " (1). The term "landscape" its self is even controversial when it is being defined in different ways (2). For me, it is not important what the landscape is composed of, but the way we perceive, it tells who we are: " many people look but only a few see"
The opening on the wall at the end of " Architecture walk" in Villa Savoye. Picture available at: http://mydesignstories.com/villa-savoye-le-corbusier/
Villa le Lac, by Le Corbusier, 1923, in Corseaux, Switzerland . Picture available at: https://it.pinterest.com/pin/433260426626774455/
AM I INSPIRED BY OTHER PEOPLE ? Yes, I am, there are two of them. The first one is a lecture I attended inside a in one of Politecnico di Milano campuses where I was doing my Master degree back in 2014. The lecture was given by Prof. Galluzzi, who was questioning us: " is this landscape or territory ? ", this is such a provoking question. The point he tried to make was interesting, that if any alien object is installed in the context, it totally changes the feelings, the atmosphere, some time even change the meaning of the place like it is trying to communicate a different thing. I don't know if I fully understood the message of the lesson. But my impression of that class is so deep that whenever I am watching some moving images, I get acutely aware and sensitive to the context that appear within a frame and I still question myself at that moment: " is that landscape or territory? ".
Images appear in prof. Galluzzi's lecture: "Environs": From left to right: Apollo Naxos Gate way (GRE) and Reggio Calabria shoreline (ITA)
Jeremy Clarkson was enjoying the picturesque view in Cambodia from his truck on Top gear series 12 of BBC
The slide doors made by "shoiji" screen where the exterior meets the interior at the veranda of the Japanese traditional house (4)
The "framed landscape" in the Japanese animated drama (5)
Another story is my research for the related information to this project, which I call it: " Framing the landscape" which turned out to be exactly the name of an realized project when I was googling this key word. Among hundreds of results, I saw an old man standing next to a suspended-oxidized-steel frame, it was exactly what I was looking for. This man is Askley Jackson, a British artist "who is renowned for creating moody, ominous, wild water colour of the moorland of Yorkshine . His aim is to get more people, especially children painting." (3) I quote here some of his sayings about the project: " I thought if we could place frames among the landscape, it would help to focus the mind on to what is inside that frame: many people look but only a few see and feel its very soul ". " All artists in their early days use their hands to make a frame to look through, but when they take their hands away to start drawing the frame has disappeared." " The frame limits your eyes to see what is inside it, giving the mind a chance to take everything in". I am happy to find a person who has the similar interest. I did not expect that my work is unique, I felt fortunate to find him. His work acted as an inspiration, encouraging me to bring this small project to life. Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian lyricist and novelist once said: " Learn from someone who has been up there. No matter how unique you feel, there is always someone who has had the same dream before you and end up leaving marks that can make your journey easier, places to hang the rope, trails, broken branches to make the walking easier. The climb is your, so is the responsibility, but don't forget that the experiences of the others can help alot " (6)
Askley standing next to his ďŹ rst installation in Yorkshine. Picture from: http://www.countrylife.co.uk/news/yorkshire-frame-artist-60683. Access date: 4th.May 2016
WHAT DO I WANT TO ACHIEVE IN THIS PROJECT ? WHY DO I DO IT ? WHAT IS MY MESSAGE ? Firstly, I want to express my interpretation for what I experienced about this topic, the places I have been to, the lessons I got, the ones that I knew and got inspired. It is a travel ! Secondly, I want to install the project in my homeland, at my favourite place where I find myself relaxed, released in wild nature. It is about my love for my homeland where I was born. I have a strong attachment for this land, which is a beautiful place. When fully installed, it will be permanently there, people and visitors might walk by and see the message nearby. I hope that people and myself will love and appreciate this land more and more and with a growing love, we will look after our land more than we say we do. From Askley Jackson. " No one man should own a mountain, we are only the keepers of Mother Earth. It is not ours, but for the next generation in life to follow on." WHAT IS MY CONCEPT ? HOW DID I DO IT ? It is very simple, take a seat and watch the landscape through a frame ! I did this project in a limited condition and time, precisely in one day. I was almost penniless after graduation. So I had to figure out the way to realize it.
I found an old frame and an old chair in my parent's house, the only thing I bought was a bottle of white spray paint. The colour white presents purity and reflects in outstanding manner in the tropical nature which is a vibrant green all year round. I got two of my friends to help me in-
We set up the frame at desired position. Position 1
Position 2
It is more interesting with human scale
A seat makes it more enjoyable
BIBLIOGRAPHY 1." Is is landscape or territory" ? is a key question on the lecture:" Environs" for sustainability, given by Massimo Galluzzi, Professor teaching at Politecnico di Milano, School of Architecture and Society, Piacenza campus, Dec,2014 2. Definitions of " landscape": • Oxford dictionary (1995): "All the features of an area that can be seen when looking across it" • European landscape convention, Florence, Italy (2000): "The landscape is part of the land, as perceived by local people or visitors, which evolves through time as a result of being acted upon by natural forces and human beings". Available at: http://www.coe.int/en/web/landscape/the-european-landscape-convention [Accessed on 7th, may, 2016] 3. Askley Jackson (1970) : "many people look but only a few see" . Available at: http://www.framingthelandscape.co.uk/how-it-all-began/ [Accessed on 7th, may, 2016] 4. Picture from the book: " Traditional Japanese Architecture" , Mira Locher (TUTTLE) P.111 5. Ghibli studio ," From up on the poppy hill " (2011), directed by Goro Miyazaki, scripted by Hayao Miyazaki. 6. Paulo Coelho ,"Manual for climbing moutains", excerpted from “Like the flowing river” (2009)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 2007-2012: Bachelor degree in Architecture and Urban planning, University of Civil engineering, Hanoi, Vietnam. 2013-2015: Master Degree in Sustainable architecture, Politecnico di Milano, Piacenza campus, Italy. 2016: Intern architect at Junya Ishigami & Associates, Tokyo, Japan. Ha Duc Cuong is currently working in Vietnam. Photo with the tour guide in front of the opeing on the wall at terrace top of Villa Savoye, Poissy, Paris, December, 2014.