GESTURES OF A GEOMANTIC GARDENER pt.1
Strl_ & Mo Langmuir
Hohenwart Forum, DE, 2024
Laser etched mirror, aluminium frame, pvc-coated mesh fence, silver-gilded stone, lawn
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Geomancy is concerned with perceiving the ethereal world, fostering a positive impact on our environment and heightening ones senses in search of harmony.
Through a process of fieldwork and subsequent letter correspondence, a series of interventions explores a potential of Geomancy to expand conventional architectural methodology in search of deeper connection to our living world - asking the question; what does a geomantic world look like?
The Hohenwart Forum at the edge of the Black Forrest is a site of special interest to Pforzheim Geomancy Group. Through collaborative site-survey, places of significance were located and a process of maintenance and care established. Clearing the overgrowth of a PVC wire fence, a rotated-square cut-out is made to the threshold creating a space for both visual and personal connection to the water. Encased within the portal-frame, a poem composed from letter correspondence with Pforzheim Geomancy Group is etched into mirror.
A temporary walking route introduces the public to the practice. Translating geomantic site-survey into a spiral of uncut lawn and printed map, visitors are lead round the ground’s high-energy sites - ending at the portal-frame.
As part of Ornamenta 2024 - special thanks to Katharina Wahl, Andrea Silvia Zauner, Reinhard Maier and Ina Soepboer. Photography by Gabriella Kuehnhardt-Alvarez & Karolina Sobel