Burry Park

Burry Park

    Something I saw this week was Burry Park and how it was set up when we took a small "field trip" over there. During our visit, we saw the small memorial, the open area, the swings, and my favorite part - the fox. All of these elements are appropriate for where the park is located and what the park is for. The park is set in Hartsville, shown by the fox statue. The park's purpose is demonstrated by its open layout.   

  Something I learned in class this week was that landscape architects have to think about how the forms that they plant and place will evolve over time. While this point was not mentioned in class except briefly, it impacted me very much. I know that it is quite obvious that one must think ahead; however, sometimes it is the most obvious thing that people overlook. It would also take a decent amount of research--whether that be more traditional or field research--on what plants would grow in the way that the landscape architect would like them to. Another point I liked learning about in class this week was the Emerald Necklace parks that I researched for the prep check. It truly is a beautiful set of parks, and I had no idea that they existed, much less that Olmsted designed them. 

    To connect this to a class that I have taken for pillars--this reminds me of my art and theater classes I took. I say this because in both of these classes--art and theater--the class was tasked with learning about the art's history, looking back in time. We look back in time in these classes and in history classes as well; as artists, we should look forward to how our work could be viewed in the future as well. This is important and relevant to parks because they have to look ahead just like theater and visual art does. While I know many think this is different, I see it as quite similar. While the physical plants may change over time and the work of art/theater may not, the way that both of them are perceived changes based on time. For example, the art that I create now will be seen in an entirely different light 100 years from now. Not because of physical changes, but rather cultural changes around it. So while landscape architects have to worry about the plants changing, artists worry about people.