man & nature # 196-204 ~ topiary and architecture
Monday, August 10, 2009 at 03:58PM 
Stone Harbor topiary #1 • click all photos to embiggen
Stone Harbor topiary #2
Stone Harbor topiary #3
Stone Harbor topiary #4
Stone Harbor topiary #5
Stone Harbor topiary #6
Stone Harbor topiary #7
Stone Harbor topiary #8
Stone Harbor topiary #9
I didn't really get in an extended picturing frame of mind while I was at the Jersey Shore other than one rainy overcast evening when I took a walk around the block. Actually, it was 2 blocks x 2 blocks but the idea's the same nevertheless.
What I found extremely interesting - although it is not evident in these pictures - was the fact that many of the smaller "original" houses had people sitting on their porches. The reason that it is not evident in these pictures is because, out of respect for their privacy, I did not picture any people on their porches. So, you'll have to take my word for it.
In contrast to that observation was the fact that not a single person was in evidence at the many MacMansions that were on the same streets. In fact, the MacMansions rarely had a "sit-ible" front porch and the few that did were devoid of humanity and, in most cases, devoid even of human touches. Such as they were, porches, like so many of the purely decorative architectural accents on the MacMansions, seem to be there as just thematic / stylistic touches.
The contrast was quite striking. The MacMansions had their porches and decks on the back of the houses away from the street.
What is it about money that, when people get more than enough of it, the first thing they do is isolate themselves behind fences, walls, gates, and impersonal facades?
Reader Comments (6)
One reason that this happens is the rear deck is a much better social area for the family. The front deck is where one or two people might sit and watch or maybe talk to the occasional passerby. But the rear deck is usually big enough for the entire family to sit, play, cook and eat.
It's actually a reversion to an earlier form (the usual inside courtyard in a villa) from a short-lived adaptation (the front porch). The front porch really is the non-social form here, dedicated to watching rather than interacting.
I've always been fascinated by porches and yard design (houses in general I guess) and I find this little collection very interesting Mark. I love to imagine things about the inhabitants based on the "stuff" they choose to show to passers-by. One of my planned projects for this fall (see the beginnings of this in the "on foot" gallery at my website) is to spend more time walking through various neighborhoods in my town and picturing what I see. I love to get out very early on Sunday mornings to do this.
I think the pink house in this collection has a very social looking front porch, in stark contrast to #2 (a side yard maybe?) which has a feel of a stockade wall accentuated by a bush. What an amazing and interesting pair those two images would make. All of these images have quite distinct feels to them individually and an amazing study all grouped together. Good stuff.
Another strange thing I've noticed in America is the lack of kids playing in the streets of residential neighborhoods.
Ma and Pa on the front porch with the kids in the street all interacting with the neighbors creates a neighborhood that the back yard just can't.
Bob,
I'd say it depends on which "residential" area you speak of? I would venture to guess most inner cities (of which I grew up in one) still have plenty o' kids playing in the streets and on front porches. It just might be that the play area for suburban or semi-suburban kids has become a Mall or any friend's house that has a gaming system such as playstation, nintendo, or wii.
Having been out of cities for almost a decade now, I'm just hypothesizing, so I could be very wrong?
The bigger the mortgages in the neighborhood, the less kids playing. You need two incomes to feed the machine, so the kids are in day care.
If you find an older neighborhood, with three bedroom houses with one or one and half baths, no family room, you will find a parent at home (possibly working from home) with little kids, and play groups and packs of kids roaming the neighborhood.
At least that has been my experience.
We have a parallel phenomenon in England. Wealthy executives buy houses in the countryside, and immediately put up hideous six foot high solid wooden gates and an entryphone system.
I wonder what is the cause and what is the effect? Is it that the sort of mentality that helps you win the rat race (remember, even if you win, you're still a rat) one that naturally tends to shun/fear contact with the masses?
Or, is this a subtle form of ostentation? "Look at me, I'm so rich that I need security gates to protect all my expensive possessions".
I'm not usually political, but I'm coming over all Left Wing just thinking about it.
Yours in relative poverty,
Paul.