Landscape as Protagonist

Nature is vital to our very being. And yet, our current system continues to neglect it. And we continue to discount it in our conception of cities and the buildings that make up our cities. Nature is out there. We are over here. We are disconnected. Why? How do we change our perspectives on ‘nature’? How do we cede space to it in an urban setting? How do we change how things are done? With this book, we begin with an understanding of the importance of landscape. In doing so we seek to uncover some of the reasons why plants and landscapes are seemingly undervalued in the development paradigm. We seek to highlight their value, far beyond beautification and came up with ways to disrupt the status quo. A publication that attempts to challenge the property development industry’s current perspective on plants and landscapes in the built realm; where generally speaking, they are viewed as aesthetic objects used to beautify built spaces. Discussions, findings, interviews with Thomas Doxiadis, Marjetica Potrč and Dan Pearson and essays by Bruce Pascoe, Tanya Patrick, Katherine Sundermann, Andrew Reynolds and Cameron Allan McKean. Illustrations by Al Stark. The publication content is informed by a symposium held as part of Melbourne Design Week 2019. It features findings, essays, interviews and original photography by Melbourne design studio U-P. Landscape as Protagonist includes Interviews with Thomas Doxiadis of internationally recognised architect and landscape architecture studio, doxiadis+; artist and architect Marjetica Potrč whose work focuses on community-based projects that demonstrate a concern for sustainability and participatory design; and acclaimed landscape designer, gardener and journalist, Dan Pearson. The publication also features essays by Bruce Pasoe, historian, researcher and author of the pivotal Dark Emu; Cameron Allan McKean, journalist, editor and writer; Katherine Sundermann, associate director at Melbourne- based architecture and urban design practice MGS Architects; Andrew Reynolds, landscape architect and urbanist; and Tanya Patrick, editor and writer specialising in science communication.