landscape matters volume 5 - Flipbook - Page 7
Below:
Music composition monophony
Jing Xin Zhai () is located on the north bank of Beihai
Park. About 1 hectare in size, it was built in 1757 in the 22nd
year of Qianlong Period and was used as a place of study
for the prince. The garden is surrounded by short walls and
the south side is a perforated flower wall, which allows you
to see the Qionghua Island from a distance. The pavilions in
the house are arranged around the lotus pond, surrounded by
stones fromTaihu Lake. The composition of the garden
involved both landscape and architecture, which is a typically
Chinese approach.
by Ying Li: My Loving Friend
Jing Xin Zhai
(Source: Author).
Below right:
The central vista in
Jingxin Zhai that presents the
harmonious organization of
architecture and landscape to make
nature as its ‘Yi Jing’.
(Source: Author)
The landscape organisation is animated from nature in
(Shan-Shui Hua: Mountain and Water painting). The architecture blends with the natural landscape. The spatial composition, between landscape and architecture, was created by a
translation of the ‘meaning’ (yi) from a poem written for
a particular ‘scene’ (: jing). The landscape and architecture
spatial creation is therefore called yi jing) This is more
than a visual composition. It includes ‘translations’ from
other arts, including music. This differs from the conception
of landscape ‘space’ in the western cultural context. The
architecture is very characterful and responds to its concept
(Qin Quan Lang: Pouring Spring Corridor)
(Zhen Luan Ting: Pavilion on the peak) (Shi Qiao Stone
Bridge). Similarly, the main studio architecture in Jing Qing
Zhai are transalated from a comprehensive arts place
including (Meditation Studio) (calligraphy
Studio)(Music Studio) ( Tea Taste Studio)
(Painting Studio).
Jingxin Zhai, arts and music
,
My visit in 2006 to Jingxin Zhai was very inspiring. Emotionally,
it felt like listening to a musical composition. What impressed
me most was the spatial composition of the central area, combining an artificial mountain, lake, plants, and architectural
construction. They are like passages in a symphony. My spirit
felt at peace and happy. I was amazed by its perfect proportion, scale and massing. The sequence of landscape and architecture created a beautiful experience. The spatial movement
had a rhythm which made me feel that I had blended into the
landscape, as one does with a piece of music. I felt hugged by
the landscape which made me not want to leave the space, and
it has stayed with me, much as a tune can become an ‘earworm’.
Because of this extraordinary feeling, I felt that drawing was not
enough to express the beauty of Jinjin Zhai and my love for it.
A melody came into my mind, and I played it, on the piano, as
the designer of Jinxin Zhai may have composed the space, 200
years before. My exploration of the relationship between music
and landscape architecture. In 2006 I began using music as a
medium for discussing and teaching a 4-dimensional approach
to landscape design.
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References
Liszt, F. (2009) Les Jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este – Piano. Publisher: G. Henle Verlag
Messervy, J. M. and S. Abell (2007). The Inward Garden: Creating a Place of Beauty and Meaning,
Bunker Hill Pub.
Muecke, M. W. and M. S. Zach (2007). Resonance: Essays on the Intersection of Music and
Architecture, Lulu.com.
Scruton, R. (1979). The Aesthetics of Architecture, Methuen. Smith, M. (2009). Emotion,
Place and Culture, Ashgate.
