Green River is a series of public space interventions that and on a most of the occasions, it encouraged people to took place in five different cities over a period of 3 years: take a moment to stop and take it in. This project was very much an experimentation of reaction, and how people - Tokyo, Japan, 2001 interact and perceive the water in their cities. This project - Stockholm, Sweden, 2000 both provoked an engagement as well as illustrating a - Los Angeles, USA, 1999 lack of engagement between people and the cities they - Moss, Norway, 1998 live in, (which also reflects the lack of engagement with - Bremen, Germany, 1998 landscapes in a wider sense). A harmless pigment called uranine was used to dye the Whether the reaction to this project was one of telling the major rivers in the cities green and was delivered authorities or appreciating the spectacle, it did, in some without warning: way or another, engage the audience. Out of the usual of an exhibition or gallery, this intervention “it was a hit-and-run project, so to speak” confines challenged the audience to re-assess how they view the (Eliasson, 2008). city. It stimulated thought and an interaction by once again The reactions varied depending on the cities in which ‘removing’ the audience from their literal or ‘everyday’ they occurred. In some places people paid no attention surroundings. at all, in some instances, people reported it to the police,
APPLICATION TO LANDSCAPE Although some of the projects are very different in nature to that of landscape design, the methods of engagement employed can be adapted to fit a variety of design themes. Taking the methods that Eliasson uses to engage the audience, (which is in effect, by creating unexpected and unusual encounters that alienate the audience from the ‘everyday’ surroundings or circumstances), and applying these to the design of landscapes. The scale or drastic nature of some of these projects can be adapted to provide interesting landscape experiences of challenge and discovery. Although the analysis of case studies is mainly
focused on the experiential engagement of Eliasson’s work, it is also important to note the way in which pertinent issues can be communicated alongside engagement. This method of engagement should be highly considered in the landscape design process; design content and elements should be driven by the user experience and providing plenty of opportunity to engage and interact. Whatever the theme, scale or location of a design, these principles can be adapted to provide stimulating and engaging experiences on multiple levels.
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