Nate Cormier Lecture

Introduction of speaker by Anan Mari.
Speaker: Nathaniel Cormier
- Managing Studio Director for Landscape Architecture at Rios in California.
- Connection to Anan Mari as brother-in-law.
Highlights of Nathaniel's background:
  - Honors project in 1995: K sansuri style Japanese garden, built for $1,500, still exists today.
  - Attended Bowdoin College and studied abroad in Japan.
  - Obtained a master's degree from Harvard Graduate School of Design.
  - Experienced in landscape architecture since 1999.

Presentation focuses on mid-career reflections on design and landscape architecture.
Key phrases used in the title:
  - Hyperlocal Histories: Emphasizing unique, local stories that give meaning to places.
  - Co-creating Places: Highlighting the collaborative role of communities in design.
  - Cultivating Curiosity: Central mission to engage people who care about their communities.

Background on homogenizing forces in landscape architecture (referencing Michael Jacob).
- Influences include social media, developer financing, building codes, and software standardization.
- Artificial intelligence is added as a modern influence.
The need to address the "genius loci" (spirit of a place) amidst global sameness.

Quoting philosopher Michel Foucault:
- Curiosity evokes care of what exists and what might exist.
Exploring two types of curiosity as described by psychologist Daniel Berlyne:
- Perceptual Curiosity: Triggered by novelty and surprise.
- Epistemic Curiosity: The deep human desire to discover and understand.
Berlyne's concept of the Zone of Curiosity: The ideal state characterized by exploration, excitement, and interest, essential for citizens and learners.
Caution against reaching extremes of disinterest (under-stimulation) or know-it-alls (over-stimulation).

Historical Context of the Picturesque:
  - Definition of picturesque: Associated with visual storytelling in the landscape that stimulates curiosity through complexity and variety.
  - Historical figures in picturesque thought include Uvedale Price, Richard Payne Knight, and William Gilpin:
    - Emphasized roughness and intricacy in landscapes as a departure from classical ideals.
  - Price's critique of Capability Brown’s smoothness and homogeneity in landscape architecture:
    - Desire to evoke an alive and changing landscape through complexity and variety.
Notable concepts:
- The picturesque as contrasted with classifications of beauty (the beautiful vs. the sublime).
- Use of intricate landscapes as catalysts for curiosity.

Description of a cyclical creative process:
  - Research: Immersion into local complexities; tools such as thick mapping and inventories to uncover unique aspects of a place.
  - Experimentation: Using research materials to generate creative outputs and provoke emotional responses from stakeholders.
  - Craft: Making strategic design decisions, editing concepts to reach impactful conclusions.
Importance of collaboration with stakeholders and community for rich design outcomes.

Oxbow Park in Seattle:
- Transformation of a former coal and wood storage yard into a community park.
- Engagement through community involvement and embracing local history.
Mount Baker Ridge Viewpoint:
- Incorporation of astronomy into the park design through a sunset dial concept.
- Highlighting the importance of community engagement in concept development.
Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center:
- Distribution of educational facilities among trees promoting outdoor learning and sensitivity to natural contexts.
Bell Street Park:
- Hybridization of street and park features; use of design to connect community through diverse public spaces and pedestrian-friendly zones.
Hing Park in Seattle's Chinatown International District:
- Collaborative design involving multiple community stakeholders; celebrating multiple cultural identities through landscaped terraces and an amphitheater.