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September 2022

Borders: Gardens

My initial explorations around borders and gardens started with some reflection. I love nature, trees, and forests, and never thought I would live — and love living — in a city as big as Chicago. Over the last couple of years I started my own urban garden on my back porch as a way to connect more to nature, as something to nurture and cultivate, as something to take my mind off of the pandemic, and for a variety of other reasons I’m sure. So it strikes me that gardening for me could be creating a border between different mental states, building a border between myself and the outside world… I also wonder about what constitutes the border or boundary between nature and gardening.

I then started research with Wikipedia. I learned that people have been gardening since ancient times and that gardens have served a variety of purposes. They are status symbols, sources of food, and expressions of art and philosophy. I learned that there are different ideals of what gardens should be that vary from culture to culture and across time periods.

I read an essay called Gardens as a Metaphor, by Clare Cooper Marcus, who talks about gardens from the context of creating myths and paradise myths. In many cultures, there is a creation myth in which order is created out of chaos in the form of a paradise garden. People have searched for this paradise garden on earth, and have claimed to have found it in many places. Early European and other Medieval mapmakers put paradise on maps of the known world, usually depicting them around the borders.

Marcus goes on to describe Tibetan Buddhism’s concept of Shambhala, a hidden oasis beyond the Himalayas, and searches to find Shambhala. There are many guidebooks that have been created to help people find Shambhala, which I definitely want to look into. Edwin Bernbaum concluded that Shambhala is not a place, but a state of mind, and that “we can read the guidebooks into Shambhala as instructions for taking an inner journey from the familiar world of surface consciousness to the hidden sanctuaries of the superconscious.”

Marcus theorizes that we are drawn to gardening because it unites the different hemispheres of our brain, and it “requires knowledge and intuition, science and nuturance, planning and faith.” Perhaps this theory points to gardening as something that lives at the border between different modes of being, different ways of seeing and operating in the world, an activity that can live in some sort of intersectionality.

And finally Marcus points to the idea that gardens are often set apart, held sacred, held dear. This definitely relates to the idea of borders.

I also read an essay called Nature is More Than A Garden by Ian L. Harg. It was not terribly informative, but illustrated Harg’s perspective that gardens present nature as orderly, benign, abundant, and peaceful, which is in contrast with some of the realities of nature untended by humans.

Things to research more

  • Tibetan guidebooks for Shambhala
  • T in O maps from the middle ages
  • Rain gardens
  • Victory gardens –> what would be a current form of victory garden?
  • Gardens as a tool in response to climate change
  • Gaia Hypothesis
  • Findhorn Community garden

Explore

  • Border bw nature and gardens, wilds and gardens
  • trees and gardens and borders
  • garden as collaboration bw humans and nature
  • gardens and the idea of home
  • “the known world” –> what is our version of the known world. and the unknown world?

Could make

  • T in O maps
  • Guide to Shambhala
  • Seed collection book, survivalist seedkit
  • garden quilt or a map as a quilt

Space: Plantation

Here is a mind map I made based on the general research on the topic of plantation.

For the topic of plantation, there are two main aspects that are worth digging into: economic and ecological impact. These two aspects contains more detailed topics, for example:

  • slave economy (past and present)
  • world market influences
  • local economy influences
  • biodiversity
  • habitat
  • genetically altered crops

There are other topics that drove my attention when I was researching, for instance, why different crops are planted in different countries/regions; technology applications in modern plantation industry; the history of plantation, etc.

upsides:

  • produce cash crops
  • make money
  • grow crops efficiently
  • create jobs for local people
  • a key component in the world market
  • if planted on degraded lands, it can help increase biodiversity and habitat

downsides:

  • low wages for the workers
  • increase inequality
  • decrease biodiversity and habitat

cultural differences: 

  • different crops:
    • China: bamboo
    • Far East: teak
    • Australia: eucalyptus
    • Caribbean: Sugar-cane
    • America: Christmas trees
  • different historical background (colonialism and slavery):
    • America
    • Europ
    • Afica
    • Asia

problems:

  • worker’s condition
  • environmental damage

norms: 

  • forest plantation management

experimental making:

 

Post 1: Emergent Strategy

“I often feel I am trapped inside someone else’s imagination, and I must engage my own imagination in order to break free” (18)

  • Q: Have you felt trapped inside someone else’s imagination? How have you broken free?
  • A: I believe if you look at society as a larger system, we are all, at one point or another, trapped inside of someone else’s imagination. There are many ways to approach life, yet many of us have followed a similar set path or societal standards; school, college, work, marriage, and purchasing a home. So much of this “straight and narrow” approach to life was systemized through someone’s thoughts or imagination. In the media and mainstream America, standards of beauty, worthiness, and reward are bestowed upon us through one lens built from a collective imagination of those in the power of the narrative and to be given the designation of tastemakers. Much of this sentiment is outlined in the list of concepts from the reading. As I have gotten older and experienced some fallout from sticking so closely to the binary of  “right” and “wrong,” I took stock of what was important to me, not what was being projected by others and have attempted to approach my life with that compass. At the risk of sounding selfish, the lifestyle shifts from the pandemic provided a silver lining of fully leaning into remote work, the ability to live nomadically, and to apply and partake in this program 13 years after graduating from undergrad.
  • Q: What is a negative pattern that you see in a small way that reverberates outward that you could attempt to disrupt today?
  • A: This quote particularly resonated with me, “Transform yourself to transform the world.”—Grace Lee Boggs. While it feels like a drop in the bucket, my partner and I have recently started to introduce more plant-based food into our diet and routine to attempt to combat the environmental impacts of the meat/farming industry.

 

Skin: Fenestra

I started with the definition of “Fenestra” (Since it is my first time seeing this word):

From Collins English Dictionary:

  1. Biology: a small opening in or between bones, esp one of the openings between the middle and inner ears
  2. Zoology: a transparent marking or spot, as on the wings of moths
  3. Architecture: a window or window-like opening in the outside wall of a building

After searching for the definition, I was amazed that Fenestra could be associated with many disciplines.  The fact that it is a biological word at first but also has an architectural meaning truly attracts me.  I was curious about whether there is bionic architecture related to Fenestra and plan to do some research on it later.

Before diving in, I also went to the Wikipedia page and more pages related to it to learn more about the word itself, and here is some information that interests me:

  1.  It is the Latin word for “window.”
  2.  It is used in various fields to describe a pore in an anatomical structure.
  3. In microanatomy, fenestrae are found in the endothelium of fenestrated capillaries, enabling the rapid exchange of molecules between the blood and surrounding tissue.
  4. In plant biology, the perforations in a perforate leaf are also described as fenestrae, and the leaf is called a fenestrate leaf.
  5. Fenestrae are also used to distinguish the three types of amniote.

For now, I understand that Fenestra is mostly about describing a kind of structure. More disciplines and systems are mentioned, and this makes me think that exploring and introducing how much knowledge and infomations behind this world to the public would be exciting.

Two research directions appear :

  1. For The Future:  Dive deep into bionic architecture (or bionic itself) and check how Fenestra can be used in non-biologic way. Future possiblilities of this structure and how it can contributed to the society.
    1. Problems and questions:
      1. Who should be the audience/readers/users for this topic?
      2. Need a expert in this area to help since this is too technical.
      3. Is there enough infomation I can final under this time limitaion?
  2. From The Past:  For “Fenestra” is not a common word in daily life. I want to focus on the meaning of this word in different systems. Introducing this structure’s beauty to the public shows that there are always some common points in this changeable world.
    1. Problems and questions:
      1. Some people may feel unconfortable with this structure, like intensive phobia. How to recudce the discomfortableness?
      2. It is a technical term. How to shorten the distance between it and the public? How to make it easy to understand and attractive?
      3. It might be too much information for the public. How to control the balance?

 

The moth with a skull pattern: Both holes on bone and the transparent marking on the wings of the moth called Fenestra

Borders: DMZ

Notes from research so far
• DMZ is area where no military personnel, activities, or installments are allowed
• Usually the result of a treaty or agreement
• They can form a kind of border (example separation of North and South Korea) but don’t necessarily need to
• Space is a DMZ! So is Antarctica!
• There are currently thirteen DMZs on Earth and they are pretty spread out.
• A lot of DMZs become wildlife preserves or even just stay demilitarized
• There are fourteen former DMZs
• They can vary pretty dramatically in size from a few kilometers or less to massive (all of space)
• They are actually a subcategory of buffer zone which is a neutral zone between two+ bodies of land, and they are usually set up to avoid violence like in the case of a DMZ
• Demilitarization is the reduction of a country’s military forces usually through the reduction of soldiers or military equipment
• Demilitarization is often imposed after wars, particularly to the losing side, as a means of punishment and to prevent future violence
• There are usually towns or other gathering places within DMZs that become neutral zones
• Just because a region is marked as a DMZ does not necessarily mean that the border the DMZ creates is enforced. In the case of North/South Korean DMZ, there have been troop crossings and continued violence throughout the years especially during the initial years of the DMZ. This means that the DMZ is not totally effective in stopping violence or avoiding conflict.
• The most prominent DMZ is the Korean DMZ between North and South Korea
• DMZs are formed by verbal or written agreements. They are usually very detailed and outline how a DMZ should be fortified and watched. Sometimes there are even policing forces placed within or around the DMZ to ensure that both sides are abiding by the terms of their agreement.
• There is also a type of DMZ called a DMZ Network that works as a border between a private and public server. Basically, you use the DMZ Network to protect your private server from potentially untrustworthy public servers.

Emergent Strategy

Prompt 1: In your view, what is a function of humans in the universe?

I think the core function of humans is to create. Through creation we are able to build and experience. We collaborate and expand. Creating brings us together and allows us to express our individuality and perhaps, if we’re lucky, to leave a lasting mark that can tell future generations and species that we existed.

Prompt 2: How would you define emergence? What is its opposite?

I would define emergence as collaboration. It is a process that requires the individual to work with others around them bringing a mindset of “let’s solve this together, slowly”. It very much involved individuals working together is a cohesive and seamless manner to achieve a desired outcome. One example cited in the reading is the migration of birds. If they are grouped too closely together, they cannot move efficiently. If they are grouped too far apart, they cannot gain the benefits of streamlining, etc. So all of the bird need to collaborate in order to achieve the outcome of migration.

I would say it’s opposite is isolation. When we silo ourselves and focus on individual output rather than collaboration we are unable to get more out of the system than we put in. When there is the absence of collaboration, individuals don’t reap the benefits of their communities.

Emergent Strategy

  • Q: Have you felt trapped inside of someone else’s imagination? How have you broken free?

Yes, I think I’ve been trapped inside my parents’ imagination for at least ten years. It forces me to be an “ideal daughter” who should have a high GPA, choose a good person with a high salary to be my husband after graduation, and put others’ thoughts and emotions in a higher priority.  I do not “break” free. I just build up my own imagination of who I am by asking myself: what do you want to hear from your friends and families about yourself at your funeral? When my parents found that I could live happily within my imagination, their imagination became the same as mine.

  • Q: Do you find any of these principles more challenging to achieve than others in your own creative practice? How?

For me, “Move at the speed of trust” is the most difficult one to achieve. Under the definition of the speed of trust, speed goes up when trust goes up in a “relationship.” However, a “relationship” is not a one-sided thing. Usually, I can trust my partner/teammate, but they cannot trust me easily. It’s hard for me to gain others’ trust. What’s more, I am easily inferior, so trusting myself is also difficult for me. As a result, the relationship of trust cannot build up quickly, and the speed of trust doesn’t show up in the end.

Emergent Strategy

Introduction 

“I often feel I am trapped inside someone else’s imagination, and I must engage my own imagination in order to break free” (18)

    • Q: Have you felt trapped inside someone else’s imagination? How have you broken free?
  • I have often felt this way growing up. I had felt as though the person that my parents have in their imagination of me, I had to strive to be. I always had to do beyond what was expected of me and nothing else. I often had gotten frustrated because, although I did want to do really well, the pressure became overwhelming. The way I had broken free from that imagination was to have deep conversations with my parents. The process is still ongoing but has improved greatly.

General Questions 

  • Q: Do artists, designers, and technology have that same or similar responsibility? What are the nuances between those roles?

Artists, designers, and technology do have a similar responsibility. Their responsibility is to create things that will impact future generations. Artists all try to create pieces that will be viewed as a start to a new era in art, whether it be digitally or physically. Designers are the same, fashion is constant and many are trying to create a piece that will stand out to make a new type of style in fashion. Technology is constantly updating to meet and surpass the expectations and reality of many. Each roll will continue to impact future generations.

Skin: Taxidermy

Every organism has a “skin”. Most have skin that we can see, touch, or even taste. The idea of “stuffing” the skin of an organism to preserve it is called Taxidermy. Taxidermy by Merriam-webster.com is, “the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals and especially vertebrates”. Taxidermy dates back to the Egyptians according to “bonesandbugs.com”, “In ancient Egypt, taxidermy was not used as a means to put animals on display, but rather, to preserve animals that were pets or were beloved by pharaohs and other nobility. They developed the first type of preservation of animals through the use of embalming tools, spices, injections, and oils.” Taxidermy evolved from something that was noble to everyday practice. Many museums today, use taxidermy to show animals. Taxidermy is also used by many animal owners who wish to preserve their precious animals.

Since taxidermy is a bit odd for many people, there has been a backlash against it. According to “adventure.howstuffworks.com”, the downside of taxidermy is that people think of it as a way to boast about hunting an animal. Also the risk of getting “Chronic Waste Disease (CWD), which is in the same family as the human disease Creutsfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)”. Humans have not been contaminated with the disease, but can be spread throughout the area, possibly to other animals.

 

Taxidermy Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster

The History of Taxidermy – Kodiak Bones and Bugs Taxidermy

Introduction to Taxidermy | HowStuffWorks

kinship & quilting

At the beginning of my research, I found the basic meaning of quilting from wikipedia, “Quilting is the term given to the process of joining a minimum of three layers of fabric together either through stitching manually using a needle and thread, or mechanically with a sewing machine or specialised longarm quilting system.” It basically stitches different fabrics together for decoration or increase thickness. The use of quilting could be found in a variety of textile products that includes “bed coverings, home furnishings, garments and costumes, wall hangings, artistic objects and cultural artefacts.”  

Historically, quilting could be the early format of upcycling because it use of remnants and offcuts for the creation of new products.

Originally, the word “quilt” is associated with the Latin word culctia which means cushion. The term is firstly used in England in the 13th century. However, this technique of quilting has long history that can be traced back to the ancient Egyptian first dynasty. 

Quilting could represent different meanings and roles in different culture. For example, From the book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, enslaved people used quilts as a means to share secret messages in order to escape slavery. For Native American, they learned quilting and use star quilts to replace buffalo robes which were used in births, marriages and ceremonies. 

Relationship between kinship and quilting:

From my basic research, quilting played an important role in some country’s society. It is a good way to maintain relationship between friends, family and community. For example, in Pakistan and India, Friends and relatives gather to make a ralli for a dowry quilt. Community helps to stitch different layers of cloth. 

Moreover, in the history, quilting also reflect women’s “voices” which cultural studies has overlooked. According to the quilts women made, they don’t only tied family and friends together, but also show female’s social value. Quilts became presentations which showed women’s concerns, vision and aesthetics. 

Problem:

For the future research, I am concerned the connection between quilting with poverty, female and society.  For the reason, historically, quilting is the method to connect leftover material, and in Chinese background about poor family, women always take the role to stitch different cloths together for the family. Therefore, what is the function of quilting and what does it means to women in a poor family?

Related words: Patchwork, quilters, quilt, textiles

Quilting in different country:

China:

Africa:

Native American:

experimental making:

I tried to simulate quilting by using some image textures as the leftover material. Then i do some operation to these fabrics(cutting, sewing, patching) for making different designs of patterns.

Related article reference:

Beeman, L. L. (2003). Connecting Centuries, Countries, and Cultures: Quilting and Patchwork in South Asia. Piecework, 11(6), 61–65.

Colleen R. Hall-Patton. (2008). Quilts and everyday life. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0163-2396(08)31008-4