Megan Harrison
MEGAN HARRISON is an artist who works in a variety of media and exhibits her work nationally. Most recently she was included in the exhibition Geomagic at NMSU, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Her artwork depends on images and insights from geology, architecture, astronomy and Nature. She explores the complexity of the world around her wherever she is. Watch the video, the Complexity of Scale, made by Walley Films.
3 words to describe Nature?
Compounding complexity
Transformative
Penetrating
3 things Nature taught you?
You don’t have to be lucky enough to travel to exotic places to interact with Nature. Nature is a constant and creative force that pushes itself into every aspect of our world, from the remote and distant wilderness to cracks in the sidewalk.
No matter how big, the drama and story of our individual life pales in comparison to the scale, history and complexity of the world that we belong to.
We are shaped, physically and psychology, by natural forces. Our neurological landscape mirrors that of our physical one, complete with domesticated centers, rural outposts and untouched wilderness.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where I grew up.
The North-East coast of the United Stated and into Canada. Instead of sandy beaches you will find huge slabs of ancient granite facing off against a dynamic and pristine ocean.
The wilderness of northern Minnesota (minus the mosquitos). Through all of the water channels and tiny islands you can go and go and go until it feels like you are a million miles away.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Salt water, sun kissed, wind-blown - when I look at the ocean I can sense for a brief moment the scale of the planet we live on.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
I feel like I could spend all day there, listening to the sound of my steps, watching the light through the trees, finding a spot have a snack. I am so at home there.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
When I see a volcano, it feels like all of my Earth Science textbooks have come to life. I can imagine the Earth’s crust, the lithosphere, the mantle and all of the tectonic plates bobbing around.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Seeing the sunset is an experience that usually comes to you. You are moving through your day and look up, and there it is.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
After a flash of lightning, the feeling of anticipation, waiting for that thunder to follow, is so satisfying.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Cozy and happy to have a good roof over my head.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Today I feel like a Forest person.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
A 10. In fact, just thinking about nature has positive effects; the idea of wilderness shapes such a large part of the human psyche.
Share with us a childhood nature memory
My dad took me on a short camping trip when I was 7 or 8. It was the first time I experienced hiking into a natural space with a pack as opposed to camping next to a car. It felt like we walked for a very long time, though it was probably less than a mile. It was just far enough to feel really surrounded by the landscape. I remember green everywhere, cold mornings, and the smell of the tent. I was amazed watching my dad; he knew all sorts of tricks - how to set up a tent, start a fire, hook a fishing line, cook outside, brush your teeth and clean dishes without running water. I would love to go find that spot again. I am curious to see how my memory has interpreted that space.
Kengo Kuma
KENGO KUMA was born in 1954. He completed his master’s degree at the University of Tokyo in 1979. After studying at Columbia University as Visiting Scholar, he established Kengo Kuma & Associates 1990. In 2009, he was installed as Professor at the Graduate School of Architecture, University of Tokyo.
Among Kuma’s major works are Kirosan Observatory (1995), Water/Glass (1995, received AIA Benedictus Award), Noh Stage in the Forest (received 1997 Architectural Institute of Japan Annual Award), Bato-machi Hiroshige Museum (received The Murano Prize). His recent works include Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum (2010), Asakusa Culture and Tourism Center (2012), Nagaoka City Hall Aore (2012) and Ginza Kabukiza (2013). Outside Japan, Besancon Arts and Culture Center, FRAC Marseilles and Aix-en-Provence Conservatoire of Music were completed in 2013. Currently, about 100 projects are going on in Japan, Europe, USA, China and many other Asian countries. Kengo Kuma & Associates are also engaged in the designing of the new national stadium in Japan.
Kuma is also a prolific writer, including Anti-Object, translated into English. Most of his latest titles have been published in English, Chinese and Korean and have won wide readership from around the world.
3 words to describe Nature?
Integration, interaction, softness
3 things Nature taught you?
Kindness, warmth, calmness
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Kanda River near my house, cemetery near my workplace, & the blue sky
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Why could it appear so different every day?
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Calm down and relax
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
The axis, the verticality that connects the earth and the sky.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Peaceful
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Memory of summer holiday in childhood
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Sound of the glass trembling in my old house I lived as a child.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Forest
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
There was a bamboo bush behind our house. I often changed into rain boots to explore the nature there.
Ayelet Baron
AYELET BARON is the visionary author behind Our Journey to Corporate Sanity: Transformational Stories from the Frontiers of 21st Century. Prior to being a speaker, coach, workshop facilitator, and committed to making a transformational impact on business, Baron was an Innovator-in-Residence in Roche/Genentech's Strategic Innovation Product Development organization, and a Chief Strategy Officer for Cisco Canada.
3 words to describe Nature?
Humans. Grounding. Reality. We are nature; nature is grounding; nature ground us in reality.
3 things Nature taught you?
To appreciate beauty as is. To recognize the life force in animals, plants and humans. To remember to follow nature in business - a time to plant, a time to water, a time to nurture and a time to harvest.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Diving in Fiji - the most spectacular underwater park; white sands of Turks and Caicos, and the deep blue Mediterranean Sea.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
At peace. The whole experience of the beauty and infinity of the ocean from looking to listening to breathing it in is exhilarating.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
In awe imagining what the trees have witnessed while we simply pass by in a flash. The conversations they must be having must be incredible as they show us what a connected network truly is.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
The fire within each of us that can tip over at any moment and that emotions are natural if we allow them to be expressed
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
The cycle of life and death, with the depth of colors and opportunities
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
The power of nature to make a statement and bring clarity
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Alive and attune with reality
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean first but I love them all ... what could be better than an ocean with a mountain, forest and/or desert? I have had the pleasure of experiencing many breathtaking combinations
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I will always remember the first time I walked through an orange orchard in Israel when I was 6 years old and got to pick oranges from the tree. That smell of the orange buds has stayed with me forever. Then, my grandfather retired and bought an almond orchard and as a kid, I spent hours peeling the two cases of almonds and organizing them in neat piles. It helped me appreciate the source of our nutrients and also sparked a love of creation with cooking naturally. I always need to know where the food we consume comes from in nature.