This reminds me of the Sicilian man who bought land unseen in Fresno back in the 30's, I believe. He made the best of what he had, which was hardpan. To escape the heat, he dug underground, creating a warren of rooms and cool spaces. Not only that, he devised a way to grow orange, lemon and lime trees underground. Some of which are still alive. AND he built himself a couple of fish ponds. The place is full of light and fresh air. You can find the documentary on YouTube. It's fascinating and aligns perfectly with this post, since it is about being one with your home and living space.
How often have I thought about this! The house being one with the place where it's built and at the same time, being one with the person who inhabits it. How much better it would be for us to not live in what some architect thought would be a cool house.
Clara, we've grown so used to specializations, architect designing houses, farmer growing crops, consumer consuming. I dream of a world where people are empowered to build and repair their own houses, anchored in their place. Everything has become so complicated all of a sudden don't you think?
Exactly. Knowing the place where you live, how things around you work, the cycles of the seasons... So much of it is just paying attention to the world and learning from what you see. Realising that everything is interconnected and that you can't really understand something independently from the rest.
This reminds me of the Sicilian man who bought land unseen in Fresno back in the 30's, I believe. He made the best of what he had, which was hardpan. To escape the heat, he dug underground, creating a warren of rooms and cool spaces. Not only that, he devised a way to grow orange, lemon and lime trees underground. Some of which are still alive. AND he built himself a couple of fish ponds. The place is full of light and fresh air. You can find the documentary on YouTube. It's fascinating and aligns perfectly with this post, since it is about being one with your home and living space.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUKRPoQKynk
The latest Kirsten Dunsten! Really nice, I'll watch it on the road tomorrow.
How often have I thought about this! The house being one with the place where it's built and at the same time, being one with the person who inhabits it. How much better it would be for us to not live in what some architect thought would be a cool house.
Clara, we've grown so used to specializations, architect designing houses, farmer growing crops, consumer consuming. I dream of a world where people are empowered to build and repair their own houses, anchored in their place. Everything has become so complicated all of a sudden don't you think?
Exactly. Knowing the place where you live, how things around you work, the cycles of the seasons... So much of it is just paying attention to the world and learning from what you see. Realising that everything is interconnected and that you can't really understand something independently from the rest.
At least that's the conclusion I've come to.
This is so very lovely. Thank you, Jo!
I'm glad you enjoyed it Mary!