2020 | A POEM ABOUT HUHMID

A Poem About Humid Weather and the poetic narratives of temporal landscapes

MLA 2 (20/21): Studio 8 BARC0112: Advanced Landscape Design 1 Tutors: CJ Lim and Eric Wong

Xiyao Mo

CriƟcal thinking In everyday life as well as the rela onship between the built environment and nature, the weather can trigger emo ons of ambivalence. However, the nega ve metaphors offer opportuni es for unconven onal narra ves and concep on of temporal landscapes.

In the famous utopian fable ‘The Peach Blossom Spring’ by Yuanming Tao, human and nature lead an harmonious existence. Can the emo ons of ambivalence regarding humidity and other forms of weather bring new life and spa al and social understanding to the city?

DefiniƟon of weather: The weather in Changde is always humid, especially a er the rain. The humid day frustrated, surprised and ckled me as well as presen ng me with slippery surfaces.

Synopsis: Chapter1. Personal experience of humid day.

6.00am, crisps, opened last night, fell silent. Alas, frustrated me.

9.30am, fungus grown out from mber. Wow! surprised me. Noon, grass alive a er the rain, I played barefoot with them. Aha, Ɵckled me. 6.00pm, skirt got dirty because of moss on ground. Well, too slippery for me.

Chapter2. Postcard process and instrucƟon.

My Postcard “A Garden on My Skirt” captures my emo ons of frustra on and surprised, and the sensa ons of ckled and slippery experienced on a humid day in Changde. The living postcard is an unconven onal landscape and has a specific temporal meline of two weeks. Star ng with my stained skirt, the dirt was the result of my fall upon treading on a slippery surface on the wet day. The damp areas of the skirt became indicators and territories where mung beans were planted; and to my surprise, the beans sprouted.

Ferns were sewn on the inside lining of the skirt and when worn, Ɵckled me. However, the humidity was not enough to keep the living postcard alive – the planted beans dried-up and eventually fell off the skirt, leading to my frustraƟon and disappointment.

Project 1:

Frustrated, Surprised, Tickled and Slippery

LocaƟon: Changde city, Hunan Province, China, E 111°39’ N 29°00’.

N 30°07ʹ53ʺ

Geology in Changde The city Changde is located in Northern Hunan, west of Dong ng Lake and east of Wuling mountain. The terrain slopes from west to east, and the geomorphologic types are middle and low mountain or mountain plain, low mountain to erosion and denuda on hills. And the gangland-water accumula on plain and lake accumula on surround are the sequen al distribu on of the plain. Mountains and hillls account for 56%, and 35.9% of the lacustrine plain area, 8.1% of the water surface.

W

E

secƟon W-E

N 28°24ʹ31ʺ 0

20km

C. 12:30 pm Tickled

B. 9:00 am Surprised

Chapter 1:

Personal Experience After The Rain: Changde just ended a week of rainy days. The weather has not cleared up yet. Clouds are floating in the sky; the wind is light, and the humidity is 100%.

On this day, I went to a nature park in the afternoon and returned to the city at night. I experienced a wealth of emotional changes, but they are all because of the wet weather.

15th Oct, 2020

D. 6:00 pm Slippery

A. 6:30 am FrustraƟed 0

1km

6:30 am

Frustrated In the morning, I got up too early and not being able to find any breakfast.

As I was starving, I remembered the chips I have not eaten the night before. I put them in my mouth, but the experience was one of frustraƟon.

The chips were silent, So was I.

6:30 am. Frustrated

o1. The Silent Chips The soŌen chip because of humid was frustaƟng to eat.

Crunchy potato chips are gratifying. They make white noise in our mouths, stimulates the reward centers of our brains. However, humid weather can make them silent, soulless, and frustrating. Crunchy foods are most affected in this weather. If we forget to put them in airtight bags or boxes, they will become soft overnight.

9:00 am

Surprised I drove half an hour to the nature park, which has the biggest lake in our city. It was cold, but also fresh.

When I was walking along the timber bridge over the lake, something surprise me.

The humid weather gave dead wood a second life. Amazing fungi emerged from their numb bodies, and the corpse becomes a breeding ground for new life.

9:00 am. Surprised

o1. The New Life Humid weather breeds these fungus from the decayed wood.

I was so surprised when I noticed the fungus growing in these cracks in the wood. Their crystal clarity is so beautiful, and their color is so attractive.

o2. Unknow fungus

o3. Guepinia Spathularia

12:30 pm

Tickled

The park was sparsely populated after the rain. I walked across the timber bridge and came to a meadow. It was too quiet.

However, "the drenched afternoon brings back the sound." (Jorge Luis Borges) When I was walking barefoot on the grass, the damp grass tickled me. Living grass and the remainder water squeezed into each other; the still air becomes noisy.

12:30 pm. Tickled

o1. Tickled The barefoot print on an A4 paper a er walking across the moist grass, trying to capture the moment that the living grass ckled me.

There is a "Shaishai" when we walked across the grass. But the sound was subtle. Only when the rain is over, and water on the grass will become slightly more pronounced. Like fallen leaves, living grass, and the water among them, they squeeze into each other when I walk upon them over a piece of A4 paper. They act and enhanced their interations.

o2. Drenched Lawn The loca ons of the A4 paper.

o4. Sole of my foot Some grass le on my bare feet.

o3. Footprint By video capture.

6:00 pm

Slippery It was a complete accidental moment. When I got back to the city, I walked out of the parking lot, where it was really dark and damp.

I slipped down because there was moss growing on the ground, as the soles of my shoes were also wet. I slipped.

Unfortunately, I broke my expensive glasses and dirtied my new skirt.

6:00 pm. Slippery

o3. Slippery I slipped on a patch of wet moss.

The humidity make the moss slippery and hence the road became slippery.

o2. A stained skirt caused by the slip

o3. The stained skirt

Chapter 2:

The Postcard Such a humid day is so unique. So I try to stitch together the experience of the growing emotions.

But how to start?

I stared at my stained skirt, my imagination grew......

The Mung beans grows quickly in humid environment It could be a good element to express my growing emo ons.

InstrucƟon: 1. Pour the green beans into the container and you can hear the crisp sound. 2. Pour in the water and shake again, the sound changed. 3. Soak in water overnight, mung beans get bigger and so . 4. Pour out the water and shake them again, the voice became muffled and hoarse. 5. Wet the ssue and cover them, and wait for them to grow. It usually takes one or two days, during this me, maintaining humidity is key.

The Postcard 1 Anatomy of my skirt.

A

A. Stained area

The Postcard 2 A graden on my skirt.

B

C A

A. Stained area

B. Mung beans

C. Asparagus fern

EmoƟons on the postcard: 1. The stained areas on the skirt records the slippery incident.

2. Li le beads emerged from the stained areas. On closer inspec on and to my surprise, they are sprou ng mung beans.

3. The inside dace o he skirt has an Asparagus ferns lining. The beau ful texture ckles me when I wear it, just as the damp grass.

4. As me lapses, the bean sprouts fall off and the ferns turn brown. The demise of nature frustrated me, just as I felt as I ate the silent crisps.

1. Stains: slippery

2. Sprout of beans: surprised

3. Asparagus fern: ckled

4. Withered: frustrated

Tickling sensaƟons The Asparagus fern grew from within the hem of skirt. When I wore my skirt, the so fluffy leaves ckled me.

WaiƟng for a srprise About 10 days, the sprout of mung beans brought me a big surprise.

2nd Nov

4th Nov

6th Nov

8th Nov

10th Nov

12th Nov

Inevitable FrustraƟon Surprises seem to be ephemeral because their lives are already short.

14th Nov

16th Nov

The making of the Postcard Main process takes patience and time.

1. Material: Asparagus, double-sided adhesive tape, scissors.

2. Iden fy the inside wet area.

3. Taped double-sided adhesive.

4. S ck the leaves on: They can ckle me, especially when I am walking.

5.Material: Mung beans, PVAC, sprinkling, tweezers.

6. Iden fy the outside wet area.

7. Planting mung beans one by one.

8. Keep it wet with a wet ssue. It should be as gentle as tucking your baby in.

The making of the Postcard 2 Some of the attempts.

Plant loosely and show the wet area and humid weather. (27th Oct)

The spry is not enough to keep moist. (27th Oct)

Have not prepared enough beans so I had to use soaked beans. (29th Oct)

The successful version. (30th Oct)

The protagonist, the Peach tree (Amygdalus persica L. ‘Hongyu Chuizhi’) is an indigenous plant of the city. Despite being an annual ritual, the peach blossoms never ceased to surprise and frustrate us with its temporal beauty. In Changde, Hongyu chuizhi starts to blossom in mid-March, and a er a week, it will reach its full bloom which usually lasts no longer than 10 days. This emo onal experience is followed by the delight of its sweet yet slightly ckly skinned fruits.

The gum produced adds strength to its slippery branches, allowing the tree to metaphorically extend its embrace of equity and an egalitarian utopia – akin to Tao’s fable ‘The Peach Blossom Spring’.

Timeline: 1. November: training the tree.

2. Next March: Mid-March: transplant (7 days) Late March: fes val (10 days)

Project 2: The Utopia of Peach Blossoms

Synopsis: Urban divide and social inequality have le ci es frustrated, surprised and on the path of a slippery road. The project ckles ones fancy by challenging these no ons by asking, what if a flee ng moment of equality is possible and what might this look like? Set on a short ferry ride that bridges the North South divide in Changde, a utopian vision of peach blossoms provides a temporal landscape of equality and harmony, even if it is for ten minutes only.

Specific explanaƟon: Early preparaƟon: The peach tree requires training to configure into a specific shape. The training began the previous November with excess branches trimmed, leaving the main branches ed in a certain direc on to guide its growth direc on. It is a requirement to keep an ongoing maintenance plan on its growth un l the big event in March.

The preparaƟon for the Peach Blossom FesƟval: Start with the first blossoms. The tree is transplanted into a large wooden container on the vessel and carefully trimmed to form a ‘canopy’ while avoiding conflict with passengers. The peach tree comes into full blossom, las ng only 10 days.

EmoƟons and Peach Blossom Peach is an exact plant that can echo my emoƟons about humid weather.

The flowering period of peach blossom generally begins in March and lasts only about 10 days. The best temperature it 10°C to 15°C. If the temperature is too high, the flowering period may become shorter. If it rains for a few days, they will wither quickly. They prefer sunshine area but also need enough moisture in soil.

The start of the story: "Hu Feng Tao Hua Lin" "忽 逢 桃 花 林" Suddenly he came upon a forest of peach trees Encounter, bloom: Surprised

Fluffy Fruit: Tickled

"Jia An Shu Bai Bu, Zhong Wu Za Shu" "夹 岸 数 百 步，中 无 杂 树" On either bank for several hundred yards there were no other kinds of tree.

"Fang Cao Xian Mei, Luo Ying Bin Fen" " 芳 草 鲜 美， 落 英 缤 纷" The fragrant grass was beau ful to look at, all pa erned with fallen blossoms. xThe end of the story: "Sui Mi, Bu Fu De Lu" "遂 迷，不 复 得 路" They lost their marks and never found the place.

Delicious Peach Gum and the surface of branches: Slippery

Fade, farewell but never meet again: Frustrated

Peach Species in Changde Changde has more than 48% of the ornamental peach species in the world.

Here are all the ornamental peach species in Changde.

Alba

Zi Ye

Fei Tao

Ying Chun

Shou Bai

Er Qiao

Dan Fen

Wan Bai

Rui Guang

Erse

Danban Shoufen

Xia Yu

Shou Fen

Shou Hong

B

Dan Hong

Bi Tao

Hehuan Erse Tao

Huangjin

Terutebeni

Teruteshiro

Terutehime

Terutemomo

C

Beijing Zi

Sa Hong

Wu Bao

Man Tian Hong

Dai Yu

Zhu Fen

Hong Yu

Wu Bao

Jiang Tao

Kikumomo

Han Hong

Ningxia Ziye

Yuan Yang

Lv E

Geipeishidare

A

Danban Shouho

Tao Yuan

Baihua Shanbi

E

Unriumomo

F

D

A. Standard Group, B. Dwarf Group, C. Pillar Group, D. Weeping Group, E. Davidiana Group, F. Crooked Group. (Growth habits)

The blossoms period of main species

Peach blossoms in changde are usually earlier than other places but last a li le longer.

20th-28th Feb

1st-10th Mar

11st-20th Mar

21st-31st Mar

1st-10th Apr

1st-10th Mar

11st-20th Mar

21st-31st Mar

1st-10th Apr

11st-20th Apr

The Peach Blossom Spring Painted by Ding Yunpeng, 1582, Ming Dynasty

Fable about Peach Blossom Spring Táo Huā Yuán Jì 桃 花 源 記 Peach Blossom Spring

The Plot: “Peach Blossom Spring” describes how a fisherman sailed into a creek in a forest made up entirely of blossoming peach trees, where even the ground was covered by peach petals. When he reached the end of the river, the source turned out to be a grotto. He squeeze through and the passage eventually reached a village.

A fable written by Tao Yuanming (Tao Qian) in 421 C.E (Jin dynasty) about a chance discovery of an ethereal utopia where the people lead an ideal existence in harmony with nature, unaware of the outside world for centuries and the perfect equity of equality.

Life in the village is isolated but peaceful and beautiful. The ancestors of villagers escaped to this place during the civil unrest of the Qin dynasty and then, they had heard nothing of subsequent changes in political regimes.

This poem was written during a time of political instability and national disunity; and the story sets in the same (the Taiyuan era of the Jin dynasty (266–420). It is a very early anarchist utopian fantasy, Peach blossom spring in chinese, just like the Utopia in west world.

The fisherman was warmly received by the hospitable villagers and stayed for over a week. Upon leaving, he was informed that it was worthless to reveal this experience to the oout world. However, he marked his route on his way out with signs and divulged the existence of this idyllic haven to others. The man spent his whole life trying to find it repeatedly but in vain.

N 30°07ʹ53ʺ

The Peach Blossom Spring take place in Changde Jìn Tài Yuán Zhōng, Wǔ Líng Rén Bǔ Yú Wèi Yè

“晋 太 元① 中， 武 陵② 人 捕 鱼 为 业。” Táo Huā Yuán Jì, Táo Yuānmíng

——《桃 花 源 记》, 陶 渊 明

During the reign of Taiyuan① of Jin dynasty, a man lived in Wuling② and lives by fishing. <The Peach Blossom Spring>, Yuanming Tao 1. 376-396 C.E, Jin dynasty. It is a period of political instability and national disunity. The dynasty ruler is extremely corrupt and blindly surrendered to other regimes. The warlords fighting each other for years and taxing corvee labor, and the people were under high exploitation.

Wuling Distract (city center)

2. The ancient name of Changde, until now, the city center is also called Wuling District.

Wuling mentioned here is Changde city nowadays. A county named Taoyuan(yellow box) is located in the southwest of Changde city, about 50 minutes' drive from the city center(red box). Taoyuan county is known as the place where the Peach Blossom Spring took place. It is now used as a symbolic tourist attraction of the fable and attracts many tourists every year. Based on this, the local people have a strong affinity for Peach Blossom Spring. And always have a longing for living in Utopia.

The Peach Blossom Garden (Taoyuan county)

©Ming Cheng, 2006

N 28°24ʹ31ʺ 0

20km

N 29°01ʹ36ʺ

The site:

Water flow of Yuan river

N

0

1km

Main urban areas of Changde

The economic staus of Changde: The main urban areas of Changde are mainly distributed on sides of the Yuan River. The north area of Yuan river is Wuling district, the economic center, and the tertiary industry is dominant. The south bank of Yuan river is Dingcheng district, as the primary industry is dominant, agricultural population accounted for 85%. In general, citizens who lived in the north are more wealthy and educated than the south bank in Changde.

The ferry: The ferry is the only water transporta on that connects the north and south area in city center. The ferry has existed for decades and has only one ship.

Nowadays, it only takes 15 pence to cross the river by ferry. Moreover, the journey only needs two or three minutes by ferry but at least 25 minutes by car or bus even if there is no traffic jam. Therefore, ci zens always prefer to choose the ferry when they want to cross the river quickly.

0

100m

The north ferry: A. The moving ferry, B. The wharf is a ship, C. Wai ng room, D. People from different stratum, E. Parking, F. The old city wall under repair.

F E A

B

B

C

D A

C

E

D

N

F

0

10

30m

The south ferry: A. The road to the wharf is a long slope, B. The Wharf ship is more run down than the north one, C. A rich businessman came to the south, D. The road connec ng the dock and shore is a singleplank bridge.

H

G

H

I

J

G I

J

N

0

10 10

30m

Design concept 1: Cohesion Using a pedal boat's power system, passengers need to work together to get the vessel started.

Reference of pedalo 1. Around 1950, local people used pedals to fight floods. Whether squires or famers. Similarly, in recent years, both party leaders and the rural have been actively involved in fighting floods. (Although nowadays flood control is more about sediment blockage rather than the pedals.)

Therefore, the common act of using the pedal together can be a metaphor for unity and equality.

2. The pedal as a structure commonly used in swan boats, is very common in traditional boat tours.

Step on a pedal in a lake with family is a common childhood memory for several generations of local people. Thus, the collective act of using the petal together could evoke love for family, for passengers on the vessel together, here and now. For each other, it just being like their family.

The pedal: The pedal structure is different from the chain of bicycles. It consists of two pedals a ached to a cylindrical piece of wood. Since everyone shares a one axis of rota on, everyone must keep pace.

Design concept 2: Tree training A Peach tree (Amygdalus persica L. ‘Hongyu Chuizhi’) is selected and trained to be the shape of wind swept. The form of a canopy is a metaphor for the social equality in Peach Blossom Spring.

In the peach Blossom Spring, people's equality is not only reflected in their unity but also the equal rights enjoyed by all. They have no identity differences and share everything in their life. Based on this, a specific shape of a Peach tree is trained. Considering the difference between trees and potted plants, the techniques to be referred should include the construction of fruit trees in addition to the usual potted training

Chinese bonsai

Taining reference

Ar ficial wind swept bonsai

Naturally formed wind swept tree in Cornish Trimming reference

Tree training: Early trimming In the middle of November, Select a well-growth tree and trim it.

What is it name?

It looks like a Willow.

It is an ornamental peach variety with naturally drooping strip, usually called Weeping peach. In general, its branches are softer and more slippery than other Peach species, thus easier to be trained.

Hongyu Chuizhi. When it blooms, it becomes luxuriant, but its petals are fragile. As winds blow, we stand under this tree just like we shower a red petals rain.

It's so romantic!

Yeah, thant is why it will become the

protagonist in the Peach blossom fes val next year.

Wow, when is the Festival and how the tree act?

First cut Next cut

It will start in mid-to-late March. But before that, we need some preparation. We need to trim all the grey stuff. Pay attention to the sequence and make your cuts perpendicular to the ground. If they angle upward, they will collect water and rotten.

Apply a protective agent to the wound: animal oil*1 rosin*0.7 beeswax*0.5 mix well after heating

Tree training: Early shaping In late November, guide the main growth direcƟon of branches.

Weight: 4.0m Height: 3.5m

he main branches use both the pull and the lift of the special iron to guide the growth.

shaped iron

D A C B

After trimming, it needs to wait one week for the wound to heal. Then we start the taining part.

Plan

A

B

C

Length: 7.2m Height: 3.5m

Length: 7.2m

The wire Weight: 3.0m

D

Hanging weights and supports.

When wait for them grow to one direction, set up a timber shelf.

Install the wire between the timber shelf and tie the branches to the wire. Do not need to tie them too tight, the shelf is more for guiding the new branches in the future. Thus the size and scales need to notice as it will apply to the vessel.

Also, keeping an ongoing maintenance plan on its growth until the big event in March.

One week before Festival: trimming and transplant In the middle of March. It will be a busy week aŌer the first peach blossom.

The tree is beginning to blossom.

It is Ɵme to remove the wire and make a final trim. This process, which needs to be done before transplanƟng, reduces water evaporaƟon and allows flowers to bloom beƩer. We need carefully trim it to form a ‘canopy’ while avoiding conflict with passengers.

That is great, it is a sign for coming Peach Blossom FesƟval!

Then, transplant it！

Prepare the floaƟng planƟng box.

Size: 1.8mx 1.8mx 1.2m Tag the direcƟon.

Tie the excavated roots and soil together with ropes and place them in the planƟng box.

Draw a circle about 150cm in diameter around the tree.

Dig up the sapling 60 cm from the base of the tree.

The timber

The bouy

Soil Depth: 90cm

60cm

Before install the box on the vessel: 1. Make sure the waterproof measures have done. 2. Make sure the tag has the smae direcƟon with the tree on the ground. 3. Check branches again for passengers’ safety.

Plan P an

A

SecƟon AA

SecƟon BB

A

Timber surpport for Peach branches

B

B Lightweight fibreglass cover to shield splashing water

Steel tube structure

0

0.5

1m

The Utopia of Peach Bloosoms

The floa ng vessel embraces the utopian idealism of the "Peach Blossom Spring". The passengers that commute between the wealthier northern part of the city to the poorer southern embankment and vice-versa. The vessel offers a ten-minute temporal landscape of equality irrespec ve of the wealth of the individuals.

Eleva on of vessel

Embrace the peach utopia in the rising sun

The moment of falling petals, the moment passengers want to hold on

Floa ng in the Peach blossom river

Mul -passenger vessel

Set sail in the rain of Peach blossoms_Day version

Set sail in the rain of Peach blossoms_Night version