| dc.description.abstract | Food forests can serve many functions, one of which is addressing nature estrangement in
(semi)urban environments. The problem of nature estrangement is not so much caused by
technology, urbanization, or even having less contact with nature, but by over-rationalisation,
objectivization, suppressed emotions, and anthropocentrism. To reshape our relation to nature
we must first change the way we think about and perceive it. Therefore, I sought to answer the
following question: in what ways can experiences of nature in food forests in Utrecht provide
opportunities for creating connection, affect, and emotional attachment with the more than
human world? To answer the research questions, I first conducted a literature review to
explore the various theories and debates about the influence of environmental aesthetics on
the perception people have of nature and their encounters with the natural environment.
Somewhat simultaneously, I started working in a food forest near Utrecht. Through these
personal experiences working in the natural environment, I could apply the theoretical
concepts I had learned and build a framework from that, and guide my literature review based
on my new understandings of the food forest. Lastly, in order to see if I could make the
framework useful and applicable to others, and try to gain further insights to deepen the
framework further, I conducted three focus groups. In these focus groups I attempted to share
my insights in a way that would enable the participants to engage in emotionally meaningful
encounters with their environment. Through the focus groups three main criteria or
circumstances were identified.
To conclude, the imagination framework I used was useful in facilitating emotionally
meaningful encounters with the more than human world. In addition to the framework,
focusing on fostering ‘openness’ and ‘willingness’ in designing or shaping encounters with
nature, proved essential for making these encounters successful in creating connection, affect,
and emotional attachment. This dialogical aspect of the encounters, being both open to
receiving and communicating on nature’s terms, and the willingness to take an active role in
exploring and reaching out to the environment, demands a great deal from the people
concerned. Therefore, special attention to how the design of these encounters can invite and
aid in creating respectful, autonomous, and safe experiences is required. Only when these
criteria were upheld and fostered was there an opportunity for creating connection, affect and
emotional attachment with the more than human world around them.
Key words: Human-nature relationships, environmental aesthetics, food forests, imagination | |
