Figuratively Speaking - Facing the Landscape

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: Carter's essay 'Figuratively Speaking - Facing the Landscape' was published as the epilogue to the monograph of the landscape architectural practice Taylor Cullity Lethlean, which features a collection of works over 25 years and critical essays that position the practice in the context of Narrative, Material Presence and the Civic. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: Carter's essay is a critical reflection of TCL's practice in the context of the development of landscape architectural practice in Australia. According to the editors, he 'deliberates over the difficulty of designing with and for the deep processes of landscape. He weighs up the complex relationships between land, scape and culture facing landscape architecture today.' Through a discussion on the various sensibilities pertaining to the Australian landscape, the essay also demonstrates his ongoing investigation into the poetics of place-making, and the representation and observation of the natural world. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: Carter was invited as 1 of 13 scholars and practitioners to contribute to the TCL monograph. Published by Spacemaker Press (Washington DC), the book features 17 essays by writers, academics, curators, artists and designers, to create discourse and debate on the profession. The book was prestigiously launched by: Honourable Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood at the Art Gallery of South Australia; Nick Mitzevich (Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia) at the TCL Adelaide Studio; Geoffrey London (Victorian Government Architect) at Melbourne Museum; and Ian McDougall (Director of ARM Architecture) at the TCL Melbourne Studio. It received the President's Award at the 2014 AILA (Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture) Victoria Landscape Architecture Awards, with the citation: 'The diverse range of voices in this book, and the positioning of TCL's work within both the local and international discourses are impressive and should be applauded.'