Study On Presentation Of Environment, History, Context In Martha Schwartz’s Works

Martha Schwartz, a representative landscape architect and artist, has chosen to meld postmodernism art with landscape. Her mission is to design landscape solutions which could enhance the environment, history, context sustainability of a place by using those related information as an entry point and exploring every piece of material at the site. Studying the environment, history, context which expressed in her design work is a process of consolidation and summarizing the context reflected in modern landscape design. This research has become an instructive guideline on creative practice for landscape architect. It provides crucial solutions for problems existing in modern landscape design, such as monotonous in content, characterless and despite of people’s inner demand.Research methodology mainly consists of literature review and field investigation. By comparing and analyzing Martha Schwartz’s design work, understanding the idea of environment, history, context and additionally with field experience, this paper has concluded following:Firstly, the idea of environment, history, context was being highly concentrated by Martha Schwartz. Exploring the relationship between landscape, art and culture, she proposed a concept which is to make landscape design critical to the continuation of the original site. Architect not only design a work meets the function but also should enliven the place with given a creative and profound meaning on it.Secondly, Martha Schwartz’s design work mainly focused on both natural and humanist environment. It also shows the attention to natural and social history as well as the connection between various elements and the link between parts and the whole. Therefore, integration with environment, tracing of history and continuation of the context has become three topics of Martha Schwartz’s design.Lastly, Martha Schwartz relies on reference, retention, recurrence, transformation and metaphor such kind of methods to dealing with environment, history, context during her design. Her concept is to use traditional landscape architecture and historical culture as reference, retain and transform the relic, relive the moment and also using symbols and metaphors to convey the idea of her design. Based on the introduction and further analysis of above three points, people have changed their consistent view on Martha Schwartz who is the famous postmodernism landscape designer and begin to notice that she is not only focusing on the outer form of landscape design but also the environment, history, context of the site. This provides a good reference for design work and also inspire architect to expand the way of thinking.