The Nature Of Urbanity is an ongoing body of work combining artistic creation with academic research, motivated by my desire to understand the complex relationship that exists between human and nature. Often regarded as binary, these ideals have evolved throughout human history as a result of numerous cultural forces, and their subtle interplay has and will continue to have far reaching implications for our being. What becomes clear from this inquiry is the understanding that.
Humanity emerged from the vegetable garden. As a physical and intellectual space it is essential to understanding nature’s cultural evolution: representing our first forays into organized society that brought freedom from the tumults of life in the wilderness and allowing for the construction of our most romantic and idyllic notions of nature. It is the amalgamation of a rational desire for mathematical and scientific control on the one hand, and the spiritual and empathic recognition of a mystical cycle we are deeply rooted within on the other. The garden is akin to landscape making ‘real’ a space for humans to delight in a connectedness and process of which all things are a part, while operating completely within our control and stewardship.
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