A Design for Life

Motives and thoughts Rotating bodies  Confusion of sound Negative imagery holding us down Social delusion clearly constructed Human condition morals corrupted Trapped in reaction Lawlessness war Dissatisfaction from bowels to core Devils technology strategy for Human mythologies urban folk law Sick of psychology counter fit cure Wicked theology robbing the poor Schemed demonology mislead the pure Strictly strategically studying war Light shown in darkness Image exposed Few can see through the new emperors clothes Lustful this hustle turns humans to hoes When the blind lead the blind Just more trouble and woes It's the mind that they chose It's designed to stay closed Standard of jokers Court just a logic Sick looking cosmics From schoolyards to college Primitive man with civilise knowledge System collapse and he still won't acknowledge God is the saviour Studies behaviour Trying to fix the mix mind that he gave ya Stiff-necked scholars on prescription meds Wishing their pro...

  Famine to Feast Empty to full, Dark to light, Depleted to enriched, If we can, yes we will. Basic concept sketches:

 Paintings by Isao Shiga (1993) Your silence I love the most. I am fixed, I see you and I love you. Your silence is elating for me. Not you entertaining all that you long to escape. Your silence I love the most, I find it so rare; beauty has arrived.  Two branches in a river, flowing downstream, caught in the current, I'll carry you, you'll carry me. That's how it will be.

Babe have you seen those leaves on the ground? At first they shone from the pavement in gold, red and brown. Now they've been trampled on and ridden over. And they're just sludge lying around, And I think it's time to leave this town. The trees whisper secrets of summer's love affairs, Of the carelessness tomfoolery that happened everywhere. But as the door close, the wind blows The city sleeps and the sky weeps And I know, I know I know it's time to leave this town. Oh no, you won't see me hanging around. Paintings by Kazu Saito The sky stretches far and wide, my eyes stretch far and wide, Let that be more than enough. Know yourself, be yourself, And follow your heart. Stay excited, I'm excited for you, Stay encouraged.

I. Ruling within my generation He bounds his word in  a comprehension addressing  both of our gardens, II. And when my night she’s empty upon my wall he glows I sit and see him unfold. III. And my sword as my tongue is sharper that following day from melting with him, awake. IV. There, again, he glows, And him, he throws his shoes across my skyline And I, upon my wall, See him unfold. V. Breathing heavily; our eyes flare into a symphony  that only we, may dance for.  VI. Ruling within my generation He bounds his word across my heart And both of our gardens,  Grow.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; the same applies to landscape architecture and design.  San Francisco Federal Building, USA (2007) The building was designed as a green building by Morphosis.  It received criticism because it is both 'ugly' and 'impractical'. Many employees labelled working inside the building a 'nightmare'. Tycon Office Building, Vienna, Virginia, USA, (1983) This unfortunate looking building is known locally as ‘the Toilet Bowl Building' or sometimes 'the Stargate Building'. Although it’s technically an ugly building, the locals seem to love it as it makes it easy to give directions. Zizkov Television Tower, Prague, Czech Republic, (1992) Virtualtourist.com named it the second ugliest building in the world in 2009. In addition to its blight on the landscape, it was also met with criticism for reportedly destroying an old, Jewish cemetery during its construction. Preston Train Station, UK, (2017) It’s hard to find positive pres...

Outdoor spaces designed to stimulate the senses. Long rustling grasses, perfumed foliage, open vista to watch the horizon and sunset. I think it is widely recognised now the benefits of spending time outside in nature and these delightful photographs of my friends hopefully are a snapshot of my life to come, surrounded by like minded people that I love and orphan orangutans, if they will come out of the jungle.

Inviting me in like Alice down the rabbit hole. Is 'The Mad Hatter' waiting to greet me? An avenue is traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each side, which is used, as its Latin source venire (to come) indicates, to emphasise the 'coming to', or arrival at a landscape or architectural feature.  In most cases, the trees planted in an avenue will be all of the same species so as to give uniform appearance along the full length of the avenue. The French term allée is used for avenues planted in parks and landscape gardens, as well as bouelvards such as the Grande Allée in Quebec city, Canada, and Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin. These photographs are a far cry from the leafy Parisian boulevards that take the design concept to another level, but hey, from ever acorn...

The romance of rail travel. Where is everyone heading? What is their story? What language do they speak? Their eyes don't need to be interpreted.  Travelling  gives  an insight into the lifestyles of various people.  Observation proves beneficial in making an artwork humane centric, while giving a sense of direction to thoughts on how to vary the present design for a future one.  Traveling  opens doors to timeless  design . You are the best,  I want us to create a nest, Out in the forest, Where we hunt and forage. We live so freely, We live so high, You make pudding, I make wine. Become one with the planet, One with the Earth, I have wanted you, Wanted you, Since birth.

Stress  is  relieved within minutes of exposure to nature, this has been measured by muscle tension, blood pressure, brain activity and smiles.  Time in green spaces significantly reduces your cortisol, which  is  a stress hormone.  Nature also boosts endorphin levels and dopamine production, which promotes happiness.

What design theories direct your current working process? Visually I consider the juxtaposition of materials and shapes, this informs where I place emphasis in a space. Balance or intentional imbalance is always interesting to play with. I consider movement, rhythm, the proportion of features and their hierarchy within the environment. I also consider repetition, pattern and white space. Themes such as unity and community are always present when I design, along with biodiversity, the functionality of the space and the capacity for public interaction. Habitat creation and flood resiliency are factors that I have learnt more about recently. All that said, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water - does it feel right? Does it lift me? I always try to trust my gut feeling.

All good fairy tales have a 'hidden house' but from memory the houses are a place of jeopardy, 'Hansel and Gretel' and 'Little Red Riding Hood' being examples of stories with a treacherous 'hidden house'. I prefer to focus on the romance and promise of the hidden house. A retreat for secret lovers and collaborators alike.

When first erected, Cheltenham was lauded for its first skate park, that was recognised as a successful initiative in addressing the lack of facilities for younger generations.  Is it now time to reinvest and update the existing facilities which have become worn and somewhat neglected? https://www.change.org/p/cheltenham-borough-council-improve-or-extend-the-skatepark-s-in-cheltenham?source_location=topic_page

Try telling the residents of Tewkesbury that Global Warming is not real.  Is it time to drastically rethink the design of towns like Tewkesbury?  The once in a lifetime event has become an unwelcome fixture in Tewkesbury which was flooded again in January 2021.

Love is a Landscape Love with its picturesque mountain peaks one finds oneself opening their hearts to the unending sky of dreams Down to its deep fertile valleys where we worked the soil with hardened hands and perseverance of heart. At the land's edges where waves of emotion lap against its jagged shores we find tranquillity  in the sound of its crashing waves. In the high deserts where life still abounds and its fragile existence yields to the windswept nature of chance. In its open fields where our desires roam care free to it’s densely wooded areas where we frolic in the beauty of its simplicity. In its grandness we are but the migratory animals who seek it's bounty from season to season. From it we are born and die but the land remains to remind us that love endures and it's beauty exists to teach us to adapt to all of its wondrous and various forms What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong In questi posti davanti al mare - In these places facing the sea Cas...

Landscape In The Fog tonight is our day today fog around fog tonight is our day tonight is fog fog and fog and fog and fog what is fog and what is and what is and what is and what is the sun and landscape and landscape and here is that landscape in white that misty landscape is childhood yes i know this childhood is for sure exactly it i see him i saw him this is not a dream this is not a dream i am not sleeping all right i don't sleep hey people i don't sleep live

  A landscape between two Bridges the distance between me and you And these imperfect minds alike Aren’t too far away To hear a perfect lover’s cry Or a sweet melody in the night A landscape between two Cannot tame the ripe waves of ecstasy Or the light rays up above Oh yes! I see the sunken ship On top the sea And I see an anchored love From my landscaped view A landscape between two Bridges the distance between Me and you And the birds chirp While the earth turns The faithful flute plays Towards a landscape between two

There is a something about snowfall that turns a landscape into such a magical wonderland. Who doesn’t love to wake up to the silence of snow?  https://landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/2018/02/13/where-to-find-winters-fleeting-grace/  In the bleak midwinter (it's a hymn) Room with a view (it's a film) Cat and Snow (it's a cat and snow)