SOUS LE PAVÉ: LA PLAGE! In Search of Geologic Resonance in Landscape Architecture

The idea of the Anthropocene, a new geologic epoch defined by man’s massive and pervasive impact on the planet, not only calls for a revision of our traditional perceptions of nature but also pose a challenge to the aesthetic faculty of landscape architecture. How can landscape architecture by stimulating our sensuous apparatus and intellect create adequate spaces for reflection on our relationship to the natural basis, now that we can be considered a geologic factor or force of nature?

The paper will present a series of thoughts on the aesthetic potential of geology in landscape architecture. Some of these take their point of departure in the author’s observations of material conditions and processes on the harbor in Aarhus, which highlight the city as a geological phenomenon. But mostly the thoughts are inspired by works and ideas of artists and architects, which more or less consciously have revolved around something that could be labeled geologic resonance: The ability of a creative work or an area to bring humans on wavelengths with geology’s ‘deep time.’

When the avant-garde art movement the Situationists used the slogan ‘sous les pavés: la plage!’ the beach was associated with the free natural space in contrast to the paved street, which represented the suppressing power of society. But the slogan can also remind us of geology’s omnipresent character. Geology is right at our feet in and below the hard surfaces of the city, and we do not need to visit geological sights to experience geologic resonance.