Designing a trellis for the garden, I had to reread the chapter on Ornament in A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander. The following is a quote from that chapter.
"In order to understand the function of ornament, we must begin by understanding the nature of space in general. Space, when properly formed, is whole. Every part of it, every part of a town, a neighborhood, a building, a garden, or a room, is whole, in the sense that it is both an integral entity, in itself, and at the same time, joined to some other entities to form a larger whole. This process hinges largely on the boundaries. It is no accident that so many of the patterns in this pattern language concern the importance of the boundaries between things, as places that are as important as the things themselves."
"Pay attention to transitions" where ever/when ever they occur is mindfulness 101. Such good reminder. I know it when I'm creating a sculpture. I call it sewing the sculpture back to itself, making every aspect of it congruent, till I can neither add nor subtract a single thing. But the larger picture of seeing how that carving relates to the room and ultimately to the world takes it into a spiritual practice. All my relations and Tikkun Olam........................
1 comment:
So true...a good pattern seems so effortless, yet big effort is involved in using the boundaries and transitions to carry the eye in, around and through.
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