Abstract
Several of today’s environmental problems stem from unsustainable human behaviors. One factor identified to foster more positive environmental behaviors is an individual’s sense of connectedness to nature. This notion has led to various strategies aimed at increasing people’s access to more wild environments for a deeper experience of nature. The aim of this work is to explore the experiential effects of one such strategy for artificial access to wild nature by aesthetically reflecting on the installation of “via ferrata” – “Iron Paths” in the alpine landscape, which make otherwise hazardous mountain environments accessible at less risk. The method of exploration is practice-based, using POV photographs of via ferrata in the Swiss alps from 2022-2023. The theoretical result is realized through a method of clustering of a series of photographs of different cases, reflected in POV photographs of non-via ferrata instances. The theoretical analysis and theory development are built through an aesthetic self-referential visual system, where each case is both concrete example and abstract expression within a self-instituting epistemological structure. The result suggests that via ferrata can, in one way, enable an increased awareness of oneself due to the experienced exposure in a wild natural environment. On the other hand, the result more strongly suggests that via ferrata can reduce connectedness with nature by increasing an increased dependance of artificial constructs in natural environments. The findings suggest the need to accept risk and exposure in activities and structures design for deeper entanglements with nature.
Presenters
Clemens ThornquistProfessor, Department of Design, University of Borås, Swedish School of Textiles, Västra Götalands län, Sweden
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Architectonic, Spatial, and Environmental Design
KEYWORDS
ENVIRONMENT, BEHAVIOR, DESIGN, AESTHETICS, HUMAN-NATURE, CONNECTIONS
