Kerb is the stolon of a rampant kikuyu
Not having a predetermined route it creeps across the terrain of social and cultural theory, architecture and ecology its tender point sensing its trajectory traversing the infertile, it takes root in conversations proving the themes of landscape, cultural reconciliation and infrastructure, it explores its way of knowing and being in the world on earth expanding the vocabulary of its connections the stolon of a grass root ethic enables a capture of ideas, philosophies and outlook to inform its purpose.
Issue #10 concerns itself with two broad themes: cultural reconciliation through landscape and infrastructure as landscape. Reconciliation Place National Design Competitioin Canberra and the Edge VI — conference, (on the topic infrastructure and landscape), which included the Stolen Generations’ Memorials Competition, creates juxtaposition. Landscape achitecture is responding and grappling with its potential to engage with these issues.
A written conversation with Rajen Sundaram, writer and independant scholar in Kolkata India influenced a general ambition or approach for Kerb:
‘Connective vocabulary, therefore, is the design ideas and solutions which are the byproduct of a new mindset, where the architect/landscape architect, by remaining at the level of original utility during his planning, manages to minimise culture specific biases in terms of form, function and use, enabling them to utilise a wide range of cross-cultural ideas and borrowings with maximum creative freedom. It will also help them to dialogue with the members of the “other” culture with greater success.
The implication that I willingly and happily acknowledge is that it is essential to add one more to the sub-headings in departments of architecture + design. This addition would be for those students who are interested in working in sultures other than their own. The curriculum should be designed to change rigid cultural mindsets.’
Threats of continuity drawn from previous Kerbs have touched this issue as well, particularly issue #5. It is a gathering point for work occuring in Australia, United States, Spain, Holland and Indonesia. Example of this work is within these pages and also on the Mesh CD-ROM.
In a sense, Kerb has forced a clarification of what is meant by reconciliation through landscape and its juxtaposition with other thematic. The many articles that have been written for this edition explore this. The fields of social, cultural, architectural and ecological discussion form a connective vocabulary that is richer than each independently.