An Alternative Learning Tool in Landscape Architecture: Filmic Landscapes and Their Potential Contributions

Film is no new technology and can be a potential teaching and research tool in landscape architecture context. In landscape architecture researches words are pertinent way for knowing and the visual remains Other. However, fruitful relationships between words and images and between practices and theories of landscape architecture can be develeoped through critical visual studies in which filmic landscapes are included. Based on the assumption that film landscapes are not sufficiently widespread in landscape architecture education and research, their potential uses and contributions are discussed in this study. Film, human geography, sociology and architectural researches that considered filmic landscapes were scanned in detail, the subjects discussed through film landscapes were determined and their relations with landscape architecture were discussed. Through the landscapes of the films, there were basically two debates; understanding of human-human / human-environment relationship and their use in landscape architecture/architectural education. Through filmic landscapes, it has been seen that various issues such as the effects of modernism, gender roles, war-destruction, history of colonialism, psychological processes of human beings, environmental problems and awareness can be addressed. In addition to these, the perceptual, conceptual and social contributions of filmic landscapes to spatial design, and how these can be used in landscape architecture education are also discussed. As a result, it has been revealed that filmic landscapes have never been considered as a purely physical environment independent of human actions and meanings, but rather as an open-ended and multi-layered structure with complex relationships. For landscape architects this means a better understanding of the complexity of the relationships and processes involved in the landscape in the design process and increasing their environmental awareness. In addition, it has been revealed that filmic landscapes can help in three dimensional thinking, scenario development and understanding space-time, space-movement relationship in educational context.