Genus Loci...the art of place making

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Genus Loci...the art of place making

The Art of Place Making
During one of my very first studio classes at Writtle I recall going on a site visit, which formed the basis of a garden assignment. One of the tutors, Steve Terry, asked a couple of us to pause for a moment to absorb the atmosphere. ‘Can you feel it?’ he said. ‘Feel what, the cold?’ said I. ‘No, the spirit, the Genius Loci, the essence of the place,” he replied. “Eh…emmm...? The only thing I can feel, other than the cold, is a deep sense of foreboding that you’re going to start reciting poetry.”

The Evolving Genius
Genius Loci, in various interpretations, has been around since the birth of consciousness and has evolved to reflect the complex relationship between humans and the environment within which they live. Although not recorded, we can speculate that early man, in a bid to gain an understanding of his surroundings – no matter how simplistic – would have imbued meaning upon the elements of the landscape. As these primitive, hunter-gather societies evolved, language, cultural identity and collective consciousness facilitated the generational translation of landscape meaning, which, with the passing of time, further increased the importance of place.

With the advent of the agricultural revolution and the subsequent development of complex, organised civilisations, came a dramatic rise in environmental intervention. Hierarchical societies, built on agricultural surpluses, often marked their development with vast constructions dedicated to Gods, who themselves were conceived to explain and represent the mysteries of the natural world. While these early civilisations played an important role in the evolving interpretation and use of Genius Loci, it is the Romans who are credited with formerly introducing it into architectural discourse. Innately superstitious, they instilled spiritual meaning in all aspects of their lives and devoted much time to spiritual appeasement. With respect to places of importance, they allocated each a protective spirit and where a spirit was unknown, they referred to its energy as Genius Loci.

An example of a protective Roman spirit can be seen at the Church of St Giles,

The adoption of Genius Loci as a core principle of landscape theory was brought about by the celebrated eighteenth century Augustan poet and gardener, Alexander Pope. In one of his poems, Epistle to Lord Burlington, he provided design advice to his fellow countrymen, and in doing so, encapsulated the essence of genius loci and landscape.

“To build, to plant, whatever you intend,
To rear the column, or the arch to bend,
To swell the terrace, or to sink the grot;
In all, let Nature never be forgot…
Consult the genius of the place in all…”

By the mid 1800’s the industrial revolution was in full swing and with it came rapid population growth and urbanization. At the same time, a number of scientific fields were becoming established, which provided insight into the previously mystical workings of nature. As the negative effects of dense urbanization became apparent, many scientists put forth land use/planning theories, which echoed Pope’s core message: Always consult the genius of the place. Unfortunately, rather than forging holistic landscape theories, which maximized the potential from each of the scientific field, ideas and those promoting them, became fragmented, competitive and narrow in vision. Science, while providing us with logical, deductive and reductive analytical processes to understand the natural world, took away our ability to understand that its sum is often greater than its parts.

The absence of understanding and application of Genius Loci and the vanity battle between the sciences are well represented on these shores. Architects, engineers, geologists, botanists, conservationists, planners and landscape professionals have amply demonstrated their incapacity to work together to create meaningful, sustainable places.

The above noted, there are many individual design professionals who openly embrace the core - consultation with nature - message in the development of their work.* Further, the gradual erosion of importance of the Catholic Church and the advent of mass media has opened a whole generation to new cultures, philosophies and forms of spiritualism. This, in turn, is being reflected back into society from the bottom up.

The Tangible Genius
Getting a firm hold on Genius Loci can be a real challenge, and it certainly was for me. If I recall correctly, Mr. Terry used to refer to me as Barrier! On one hand, it lends an air of magic and mysticism to design, imbuing gifted designers with other worldly skills. The processes they use to conjour up their designs are shrouded in an enchanted mist. On the other, it has made the process of learning and teaching design skills intensely difficult, placed design outside central intellectual discourse and in many ways, retarded the evolution of design theory. For those who get it, it’s great, for those on the wrong side of the mist, it can be incredibly frustrating. Take it from Barrier, I know.

One of the great benefits of being a design tutor is the requirement to provide students with firm, descriptive footholds that are easily accessible. I’ve met more than a few barriers over the last few years, and while several design luminaries have already done so, I felt compelled to develop my own interpretive description. In my humble opinion, Genius Loci – in the contemporary interpretation as the essence of a space – is the combination or junction point of three key elements elements;

1. The self – the person who experiences a space, their life experience and their sensory capabilities. We all have history and that history taints and prejudices our perception of the world around us. Only when we truly know ourselves can we truly understand space.

2. The place - the nature, form, location, scale and relationship of the tangible elements composing a place to themselves, each other and their context.

3. The history – or more correctly, the degree of awareness of that history. For instance, a person entering Dachau, who has no knowledge of its past, may experience very little. Whereas it is likely to evoke a strong physical and emotional response from a person with a specific knowledge or connection to it. An extreme example, but I’m sure you get the point.

It is only when you are cognizant of all three that you can start to utilse it as a component in your design process.

The three points noted above are obviously centred on the experience of the individual and highlight an interesting element of Genius Loci; that it occurs on both individual and collective levels. And while it is highly unlikely that two individuals would have the exact same physical or emotional response to any given place; similarities in sex, religion, education, culture and general up-bringing conspire to evoke comparable responses. Understanding the drivers of collective responses is less important in garden design – where there are typically a limited number of stakeholders – but extremely important when designing public open space.

A collective/shared response

Having momentarily veered into the public realm, it’s interesting to note that some of the factors that are opening Irish minds – the Internet, globalization and so on – are also responsible for undermining quality localism in design. International entrants in design competitions can often overlook the subtle nuances of place with the result that proposals – frequently the ones that win – are not created in a contextually sensitive or empathetic manner.

Genius in the Garden
Guardian spirits, collective responses, life experiences, walking around Dachau….what on earth could all this have to do with garden creation? The answer is simple; as intelligent, sentient beings, we have the capacity to engage with our gardens on many different levels. Working with Genius Loci, even at the rudimentary level I described above, can allow us to exploit these levels to deliver enriched garden experiences. And you don’t have to site crossed legged, chanting, in the vein hope of communing with the spirit or tip-toe through the design process, fearful that a challenging intervention will somehow upset the spirit. You just need to be aware of yourself, the site, it’s history and of course your client. This awareness, when cultivated on a firm grounding in spatial design theory and practice can produce gardens of great quality and value.

*This consultation should not be confused with conservationism. Although related, conservationism is too narrow a field to encompass the breath of Genius Loci.

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