I recently learned about Rachel and Stephen Kaplan’s concept, “soft fascination.” According to the Kaplans, environmental psychologists, “Experiencing environments that encourage soft fascination provides opportunities to think through situations and make decisions; to reflect on prior experiences and make sense of them; and to develop ideas that can be implemented in the workplace or in personal life.” The environments they mention can usually be found in nature. This is precisely what artist and designer Michele Oka Doner does. She immerses herself in the natural world and comes back with questions and answers that fuel her creations. Case in point is her new design for a landmark pavilion in the recently incorporated City of Doral, in Miami-Dade County.

Pavillion Elevation. Rendering by Local Office Landscape Architecture

A Miami Beach native whose inspiration is heavily influenced by her city’s abundance of nature, be it from the ocean or the flora, Oka Doner has left her mark on her home town, in projects like “Walk on the Beach,” the mile long floor installation that greets passengers at Miami International Airport.

When Armando Codina who, with his daughter Ana, is developing the Downtown Doral project, went looking for something that would make a statement about the new independent municipality, he was searching something that “would give it a heart.” Having chosen Oka Doner, he says, “She was the natural artist to do something special in our new city, so the selection was easy,” Codina explains. “Michele is a world-renowned artist whose roots are very much a part of the history of Miami–Dade, having grown up in Miami Beach,” he adds. Read more…

Museum seen from the waters of Biscayne Bay

A year after my first visit I went back to check the progress of the new Miami Art Museum (MAM). This time Jacques Herzog himself lead the tour of the Herzog & de Meuron project, with Christine Binswanger, senior partner accompanying him. Their insights on the design and seeing the construction closer to completion, gave me a comprehensive view of how the building is shaping up.

Museum seen from the Bay, with Highway 395 and Cesar Pelli’s Theatre of the Performing Arts to the right , and Biscayne Blvd condos to the left.

The first thing I noticed was how well MAM connects with its context, both the natural and urban, inside and out. The site is an architect’s dream. It’s a privileged piece of land, bordered on the south by the verdant Bicentennial Park and downtown, on the west by the city and, eventually, by the new Miami Science Museum; to the north by the 395 freeway and MacArthur Causeway leading to Miami Beach, and to the east the back of Biscayne Bay at the exact spot where the cruise ships docking at Port of Miami maneuver upon arrival. Just standing there makes you feel full of energy and vitality!

View looking out at MacArthur Causeway

Looking out, from deep inside the museum, with Freedom Tower in background.

A building inserted into such a site needs to hold its own and yet not be a carnival ride full of bells and whistles. This is no easy task. But this is what exactly what the architects seem to be accomplishing. When I asked Thom Collins, the museum’s director, what had surprised him most upon seeing the building take shape, he told me: “ There’s no place inside, whether a gallery or hallway, where you can’t look to the outdoors in at least two directions.” Indeed, the vistas are presented at every opportunity, yet they’re not distracting. I imagine that when completed, these rooms, though they will certainly be fit for the introspection required to connect with art, will have a more airy, inspiring feel than other somber, taciturn museum galleries. This couldn’t be more appropriate for a city like Miami, where just a single glance at the expansive sky and the ocean can evoke a fresh perspective, both literally and metaphorically.

Window opening with view of American Airlines Arena, by Arquitectonica and dowtown.

View out South from top floor, looking into park and downtown.

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What does it mean to tell the story of landscape architecture? Of design, generally? And what about the stories behind the designs of all of the projects underway worldwide? The aftermath of a great project can unfortunately be a resounding silence: the metaphorical gates open, the space is unveiled, the construction teams leave the site, and then a few leaves fall. When people use new spaces and places in the urban setting, how do we tell the story of the creation of landscapes beyond launch day? Beyond signage? About the designers, architects, planners and people behind the projects?

In this interview, I join Amanda Walter and Holly Berkley, co-authors of the recently released book, Social Media In Action, to talk about the need for communication in landscape architecture and how the increasing prevalence of social media tools—such as blogging, Twitter, Facebook and more—are helping the architecture, engineering and planning industry change the way we communicate.

Sarah Kathleen Peck: What do you see as the role of storytelling and communication in landscape architecture?

Amanda Walter and Holly Berkley: Unfortunately, landscape architecture can be invisible to lay people. This may be the profession’s biggest struggle. If landscape architects don’t tell the stories of their projects – drawing attention to the design and intention of the space – no one else will. Your designs can’t speak for themselves when the public attributes their authorship to God. For landscape architecture firms, your narrative is what will open the public’s eyes to your work.

Today, telling and sharing stories couldn’t be easier and digital formats are great for visually rich topics like design. Social media loves visual content. Videos are shared more frequently and posts (whether on a blog, on Facebook or LinkedIn) with striking images attract more readers.  Once you start telling your stories in social media, your readers will let you know (like, share, comment on, etc.) the content they like the best – pay attention to what content engages your audience and you’ll hone your story telling skills.

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Jonny Robles

It was just another bright day in uptown Miami Beach, when the first art movers loaded in paintings to the 1950’s Morris Lapidus golden “Temple of Curves,” The Deauville Resort, for the Nada art show in preparation for Art Basel/Design Miami Beach. The neighborhood shop attendants at Rite Aid, Pizza Hut and bodegas, adorned with murals of neon flamingos that morphed into sexy girls, took their cigarette and mobile breaks and quietly watched the event unfold. Would they even enter the show?

Imagine your town. Imagine a gold dusting and buzzing of high stakes international art dealers, collectors and celebrities drawn to the honey of private dinners, streets teaming with pilgrims jumping from alcohol to car and fashion brand-sponsored events, mobile phone touring teens and hipsters running through former industrial areas where hooded and masked international graffiti writers sprayed their messages on 2- story cranes. Later, higher still, sunset cocktails were downed above the city lights at a private launch of BMW’s new electric car in an open-air conceptual parking lot, now an architectural icon. This, my fellow citizens of Anytown Earth, is what they call a community of global art.

Art Basel Miami Beach 2011 was 10 years old this year. And this year, I was in search of more than the highest quality debauchery or the million-dollar manse or sale of art. I was curious about the usual urban blight to might trajectory of the influx, beginning with artists, residents, galleries, small business, big business, big entertainment, tourist buses, sky-high real estate boom, and sometimes ending with monoculture. How has and how does this once-a-year party infuse its host community with art, culture and future? Does Better Art make for Better Living?

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