Langley Park: On doing and not doing

Home

‘We depend on our surroundings obliquely to embody the moods and ideas we respect and then to remind us of them. We look to our buildings to hold us. Like a kind of psychological mould, to a helpful vision of ourselves. We arrange around us material forms which communicate to us what we need – but are at constant risk of forgetting we need – within.
In turn, those places whose outlook matches and legitimizes our own, we tend to honour with the term ‘home’
We need a refuge to shore up our states of mind…”

Alain de Botton – The Architecture of Happiness


In praise of Railway Street

I chose to move here against all practicality…on the basis of an experience of discovery, taking a stroll up the lane, ducking through a slightly overgrown passageway, peeping at the rough stonework and immediately falling in love with the slight wonky-ness of the place.

My love of the aesthetic qualities of this place have not waned for a second, and this winter in Langley Park has been the most beautiful I can remember.

I have a notion that the good naturedness and community mindedness of the residents was somehow evidenced to me in the aesthetics of the street. I can find no other explanation for knowing this would be the first sense of ‘Home’ I have experienced in years.

I do not exaggerate when I say that living here has caused me to evaluate more deeply what impact the aesthetic qualities of public space has on our sense of wellbeing and belonging, and has directly influenced much of my current professional practice

Langley Park – improving our environment, whilst retaining what’s good.

‘We are Langley Park’ is a sustainable structure that has lightness, flexibility and capacity to evolve that will potentially allow it to work more intuitively and sensitively than large hierarchical organizations.

Already social connections are happening across that village that are allowing environmental improvements to happen, that are based not just on the physical appearance and practical use of spaces, but a psychological shift that comes from a sense of responsibility, belonging, and empowerment.

We have spoken a lot about what isn’t working in terms of our environment, and now I would like to prompt a more lively discussion about what IS working so that we can retain and develop it.

I have been considering the approach we might develop to the management of green spaces around the village.

I pulled on the thread of the deceptively simple question: ‘to strim or not to strim’… and ended up thinking about the underlying principles that I think it would be beneficial to explore.

Re-visioning values

Imperfect

Do Nothing

Idle

Slow

We are accustomed to the negative connotations of these words. I suggest a re-evaluation…

Wabi and Sabi

Wabi and Sabi reframes imperfection as Beauty.

It is a Japanese philosophy of life and aesthetics that has helped me to start understanding some of the qualities that draw me to spaces and places.
‘built on the precepts of simplicity, humility, restraint, naturalness, joy and melancholy as well as the defining element of impermanence.
Wabi Sabi … challenges us to unlearn our views of beauty and to rediscover the intimate beauty to be found in the smallest details of nature’s artistry.’  Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers: Leonard Coren

After long pondering of the ‘strimming’ discussion, I started to think abut the opposition if action vs inaction, and began to see the discussion as one essentially between Modernism and Wabi Sabi (or even Postmodernism?)

I feel that Railway Street has ‘Wabi Sabi’ qualities that are hard to define and perhaps these would be easily lost by over – enthusiastic tidying of greenery or surfaces.

Clean and ‘tidy’ are not the same. Clean is a lack of contaminants – such as dog mess, and litter.

Tidy has a huge range of interpretations, and the appropriateness of these levels or interpretations of ‘tidy’ depend very much on context.

They will shift when we are thinking about private and public space, or even urban / suburban / rural space or in-between spaces.

Idleness

We are excited with ‘We Are Langley Park’, and we want to see where we’ve been. Manicuring wild spaces in a ‘modernist’ approach is tempting as we are enthused by seeing the early fruits of community empowerment…

A modicum of idleness may also serve us well. The power not to intervene is also one we can assert.

Sometimes doing nothing is as important as doing something – it’s just harder to explain or justify it’s value as it is harder to measure…and our culture so often demands measurability.

The principles of “do-nothing” agricultural technique described The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka could provide guidance to us in our approach to tending the wild spaces around that are at the boundary of the more urban and rural ‘scapes we inhabit (and the trickier in-between bits that some of us like ‘wild’ and others would prefer more ‘tame’ –both undoubtedly with good reason)

However, the ecological aspect of any intervention needs careful consideration. Our intentions are good, and our practice should match this.

‘What is done must be done properly and with sensitivity. Once the farmer has determined that a plot of land should grow rice or vegetables and has cast the seed, he must assume responsibility for maintaining that plot. To disrupt nature and then to abandon her is harmful and irresponsible.’ The One Straw Revolution: Masanobu Fukuoka:


Slow

The Slow movement is all about creating connection to place, cultural heritage, and each other.
http://www.slowmovement.com/

If we are concerned about a loss of momentum in ‘We are Langley Park’ in the process of deciding a design approach for our shared spaces... perhaps there are creative things that could busy our hands…making bird boxes, undertaking ‘appreciation activities’ such as foraging or photography expeditions…which allow us to gather our thoughts and feelings about what we value in our surroundings.

Applying a slower approach to design solutions should mean we end up with a more satisfying result that suits the very particular context of our village.

Eg: A fence is a quick fix for defining a boundary. Its ‘slow’ addition might be planting a native hedge alongside…which will mature slowly to provide beneficial habitats and the ‘soft edges’ valued in Wabi Sabi.

Activity / inactivity by design

I would like to propose that the application of ‘interim tidying’ in Langley Park is approached in a context sensitive way.

We can start with the more ‘straight forward’ sites, and in the meantime gather people’s responses to any site that are likely to be sensitive in terms of aesthetic / ecological impact.

Lets get to know each other and let us explore the things we love about being here, now…as well as the things that get on our nerves…that’s a starting point.

“Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.” The Book of Tea- Kakuzo Okakura

Jo



Wabi and Sabi reframes imperfection as Beauty.