For a thought-provoking (and kind of dark) take on the relationship between humans and nature, check out this article from Adobe Create Magazine. It’s not directly about landscape architecture, but it’s an easy connection to make, as the artist’s work does bring attention to other ways we manipulate and commodify nature to better “suit our aesthetic desire” or to be more functional for a specific purpose. That is, in essence, what landscape architects do. We might try to disguise our influence, choosing plants and materials that look like they naturally belong, but as the artist Jason DeMarte explains, “this has all been manipulated by us.” The opening paragraph also reminded me of a podcast episode I listened to last fall, which brings up the fact that the dioramas we see in natural history museums may reflect more of our idea of what nature is like as opposed to how it actually is.