The Language of Landscape by Anne Whiston Spirn

“Among the vital questions, posed and repeated, are these: Is nature a sacred entity and are humans one with all living creatures, or is nature a wilderness refuge requiring protection from the ravages of humankind? Or is nature just a reservoir of resources intended for human use? Is nature a web of processes that link garden, city, and globe? Is there a history common to all in a society or is there no shared past? Whose history should be remembered and celebrated in public places? Is art separate from the everyday, or rooted in the norma processes of living? Is art the province of the expert, or can, and does, everyone participate? Should places assert or exert power over people or empower them? The opposing answers to such questions lead to opposing natures, histories, arts, powers.”

-Anne Whiston Spirn, 1998