Spool (Jan 2018)
The landscape of critique
Abstract
This essay explores critique as a specific instrument to evaluate and discuss artistic products, and argues that the relatively young discipline of landscape architecture could profit from further developing criticism within this field. Based on the work of Carroll, a theory on critique is provided, focussing on the aspect of ‘grounded evaluation’. An overview of the media in which criticism operates is given, including social media. Using examples from art and architecture, the role of criticism in landscape architecture is described. In so far as there is a ‘recipe’ for a critique, the main ingredients are given. The essay points at the difficulties for landscape architecture criticism due to the particularities of landscape and landscape architecture - the aspect of time is very important in this. As critique can be both an activity in the professional arena and an academic undertaking, the specific requirements of both options are considered. An agenda for future actions is given, including a list of projects that strongly asks for criticism, appealing to a shared feeling that these projects should be known, discussed, and visited.
