ABSTRACT
Chapter 1, Relinquishing control, explores shifting attitudes to nature, drawing reference to the emergence of an environmental philosophy that aimed at “de-objectifying the landscape,” as a concern to shift from an art object-centred aesthetic to better align aesthetic appreciation with the qualities of nature. A parallel shift in landscape architecture is illustrated through the example of Candlestick Point in San Francisco, which was predicated on the comparative concept of “relinquishing control.” This case study highlights how concepts of the relational, open-ended, indeterminate, and immersive became operative terms for landscape architecture, informing a progressive shift in aesthetic appreciation that challenges the traditional idea of “the picturesque” and its delimiting of nature and society. Further concepts of staged landscapes, symbolic landscapes, and unscenic landscapes are identified as operative terms that place value on the immersive and experiential quality of landscape.
