In this blog I discuss how using sculpture/ artwork in a side yard can provide meaning. I also describe how I use writing brainstorming as a technique to uncover the meanings and considerations for a project.

Providing meaning is one of the goals of landscape design. A client (aka homeowner) has an office with all windows which faces a large side yard. We agreed that we would like to use this side yard in a meaningful way, not just put in some lawn or plants to take up space. I suggested we add an element: a sculpture / artwork. Properly placed sculpture can be useful from both inside the house and outside. Since her office desk is flanked by all windows, the sculpture can be viewed while she’s working. When she’s outside, she can stroll along a meandering path to a bench which is just the right distance to study the sculpture.

This sculpture / artwork element is a perfect example of the approach I take to develop a design. Once the functionality is nailed, I let my mind drift to the dreamy part. How can I create a space which reflects a client’s Gestalt? Initial meetings are often long, a time in which I start “getting” someone. I get what feelings and mood they would like to evoke in their outdoor living space: tranquility? or whimsy and playfulness? I grasp their style: earthy, natural, or formal.  Once I elicit this input from the homeowner, I start brainstorming about how a feature can be used to achieve their goals.

Use Brainstorming to Uncover Meanings and Considerations

I use brainstorming in writing as a technique to get it all out of my brain and on to paper. I can bucket all of the ideas, considerations, limitations, dreams, aspirations. Below I am sharing an email to the client which shows how sculpture / artwork can be used to create meaning in your yard.

Artwork: Symbols, the Practical Level, Meaning

“In my mind this side garden could become a quiet, private place to be contemplative. Or when you’re working, a site of visual respite for you to take in when you look up from your papers and computer.

Symbols

For the sculpture, I am thinking along the lines of a SYMBOL–maybe a spiritual symbol, or of a nature symbol. I see these as being abstract, with very simple lines to merely suggest or invite a thought (peace of mind? connection to others or the planet? all is okay in this corner of the world?). The abstraction-ness of it would nudge the viewer to create his/her own meaning.

And so I invite you, if you want to play along, to unearth what symbols are important to you.  I personally like circles and spirals, as they convey the mysticism of life. Other ideas are of a moon gate, a round ball (such as gazing), a butterfly, a leaf, a flame, scrolling leaves, a special bench (see Yewdell Gardens bench), something from a poem (such as Rumi).

On a Practical Level

On a practical level:  Size is going to be very important. We might have to put it on a pedestal so it can be seen from inside the house. We have to be careful that it is not too heavy for the pedestal. Materials need to hold up well outside: it could be precast (concrete), an iron work, or bronze. Bronze would hold up well. Plantings behind the sculpture need to be light in color if it’s iron or bronze so that the object pops. Grasses are a typical means of creating accent in a yard; they draw the eye to the object.

 

Meanings

I looked at a steel knot feature for you. I saw different things in the sculpture today than I saw yesterday: first I saw the steel knot; today I see an infinity symbol; I also see the ribbon from Breast Cancer Awareness. A Couer sculpture (French word for heart) could look like a heart, like a woman with a child, like a person meditating. This is what sculpture is about: letting the viewer make up any story he/she wants.”

So when you are approaching your landscape project, think about how you can provide  your meaning. Use brainstorming as a technique to uncover meanings which might be hidden even from you.