Digits Shape Diversity

Image from pixabay.com

Several years ago I attended the Body Works Exhibit. The spectacle of the human anatomy pushed me out of my comfort zone to a new appreciation of the complexity of the mechanics of the human body. The highlight of my visit, that stands out in my memory, was the intricate dissection of the human hand. Artists have long had an obsession with hands.  As for myself, I spent countless hours as an aspiring teenage artist using one hand as a model for the other hand to practice its drawing skill.

My sketch of a palm.

The human hand is one of the anatomical features that make our species distinct. The straight fingers with a third joint, the ability to cup our palms and the elongated thumb set at a wide angle make our hands uniquely capable. The flexibility, grip and skillful perception of our hands along with the convenience of walking on two feet provided the freedom to humans to shape their surroundings. The mechanics of our hands is a characteristic that allows us to creatively adapt to the physical constraints and opportunities presented by nature.

Cultural Landscapes are documents of the dexterity of human hands unique skills of using tools and creating art. This common ability among humans to adapt has lead to a vast diversity of Cultural Landscapes as unique communities all over the globe interact with different challenges and opportunities presented to them by nature. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization, also known as UNESCO, are an international organization that have as part of their mandate to preserve the diversity of the World's Cultural Landscapes. UNESCO believes that preserving the diversity of Cultural Landscapes has universal value to all global citizens and will build intercultural understanding.

TIMELINE OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPE THEORY

1945 - UNESCO was created after the trauma of WWII. The organization was based on the principle that lasting peace required more than political and economical policy but must be established on the basis of humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity. 

1972 - The document, Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

• Outlines the imperative of protecting the World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage.
• Introduces the formation of Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Outstanding Universal Value, called "The World Heritage Committee".
• Lays out an action plan establish, keep up to date and publish, a inventory "World Heritage List" of sites of universal value.

1992 - The World Heritage Convention became the first international legal instrument to recognize and protect cultural landscapes. The Committee reestablished Cultural Landscapes are an equal priority to Built Heritage. 

2012 – Canada’s first Cultural Landscape was added to the World Heritage List!

2015 –ICOMOS Canada launched a website for the National Conversation on Cultural Landscape, all so known as NCCL. 

2016 - Currently the World Heritage List includes 88 properties with 4 transboundary properties listed as Cultural Landscapes.

Shadow Play

Manifestations of Relationship

"Real isn't how you are made. It is a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time... then you become real."

The Velveteen Rabbit, Watership Down.

Humans are programmed to form relationships.

North Americans' understanding of the term “relationship” can be defined as a correlation, kinship or the way we regard or behave toward each other.

Humans are programmed to form a variety of relationships.  These include:  pleasant acquaintances you greet regularly on the street, respectful interactions forged at work, supportive friendships developed over time, bonds of family members and the hopeful spark of loving attraction.  All these relationships have a role to play in forming our understanding of our place in the world.

Cultural Landscapes are the manifestation of intimate human relationships with the environment. The outward manifestations of these relationships, provide insight into ideas, beliefs, and philosophical paradigms of the community that shaped them. Cultural Landscapes are physical narratives of our culture and reflect our collective identity. 

Categories of Cultural Landscapes

Cultural Landscapes cover a wide range of ways we relate to our environment. They define our relationship to our surroundings over time and across the globe. The Cultural Landscape Foundation fits our interactions into four basic categories: Designed Landscapes, Vernacular Landscapes, Ethnographic Landscapes and Historical Site Landscapes.

Designed Landscapes

Piet Oudolf's private garden, Hummelo, NL.

Designed Landscapes are those intentionally created by man. This includes gardens and parks. They may be created by trained professionals using design principles or by amateur working with recognized styles.

Vernacular Landscapes

Kensington Market, Toronto, CA.

Vernacular Landscapes are occupied by people whose
everyday activities organically cause the landscape to evolve. The landscape can be used to interpret the physical, biological, and cultural character of the culture. Vernacular Landscapes fall into two sub-categories:

•  A landscape that has distinguishing features that are evidence of a past interaction with the everyday life of an absent culture.
•  A landscape associated with the traditional way of life that is still actively evolving with the living society over time.

518 Alto Street, New Mexico, US.

Ethnographic Landscapes

Ethnographic Landscapes are those that contain significant natural and cultural resources. These resources are significant to people of the region, who value their religious, artistic, or cultural associations.

Historic Site Landscapes

The Mackenzie King Estate, Ottawa, CA.

Landscapes of Historic Sites can be an integral part of past events, activities, or person.