The study of landscape design is essentially a study of human culture; the way people shape their environment reflects a sense of their place in the world. Traditionally western landscape design has veered between the Classic and Romantic traditions, pitting European formality against English naturalism. During the twentieth century however, these stylistic polarities gave way to new concerns as designers looked increasingly to the historical, political and cultural context of their sites. As the New World was often in the forefront of this movement, this four-lecture series on American Moderns will examine key landscapes from the two continents, exploring the designs which pushed the boundaries of the profession by pioneering new approaches, reflecting new philosophies and challenging assumptions about the form, use and meaning of landscape.
A series of four online lectures by Dr Katie Campbell, garden historian and author of Icons of Twentieth Century Landscape Design (Frances Lincoln, 2006). The talks are bookable individually or as a series:
1. Landscape and National Identity (November 14), featuring the Brazilian Roberto Burle Marx, the Mexican Luis Barragan and the American Thomas Church,
2. Guided by Nature (November 21), focusing on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Lawrence Halprin, Richard Haag and Isamu Noguchi,
3. Art as Inspiration (November 28), on Fletcher Steele, Dan Kiley, Robert Irwin and Martha Schwartz,
4. Land Art and Landscape (December 5), on Maya Lin, Robert Smithson, Nancy Holt and Michael Heizer.
The series is hosted by The Gardens Trust, the British charity that campaigns to protect historic designed landscapes. All talks are recorded and will be made available to ticket-holders for one week afterwards.
