| Chapter 2: | Composing a Place |
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account for the full array of social and cultural dynamics of landscape production (Barnes & Duncan, 1992). Just as written texts are immediately detached from the intentions of their authors, the meanings of landscapes are beyond the control of their inscribers. Although initial context can be important, social events and institutions are subject to continual reinterpretation. The meaning of the landscape text is at all times unstable and dependent on the wide range of interpretations brought to bear upon it by various readers.
Yet, life is not eternally chaotic, nor is landscape interpretation always elusive. Social negotiations function to stabilize interpretations and local scenes. For instance, when faced with increasing urban sprawl, residents of Portland, Oregon, demanded that open spaces be protected. It was certainly true that not everyone agreed with this decision, but it was via social and cultural processes that sprawl and open spaces were constructed and stabilized as meaningful representations of the manifest assemblage. In addition, through collective effort, further transformations of the manifest assemblage were made to follow a prescribed pattern, at least for the time being. Indeed, many landscape lenses provide a familiar means of interpreting what we see. Birdsall (2003) successfully instructed his students to invoke ten views of landscape as a means of interpreting a limited, but familiar, area of their local community. This work demonstrated the pedagogical value of training students to see a particular landscape from multiple vantage points and confirmed that although individual actions and interpretations may challenge or redirect collective interpretations, it is more often the case that extant interpretations are reinforced and further stabilized.
The imagined place has long been recognized as important (Wright, 1947). For instance, upon entering a wooded glen, a person might decide that it is a beautiful place and one that would make a remarkably peaceful place to dwell. That person might, then, endeavor to build an abode. Subsequently, the builder, as well as other people, will consider if the actions taken have enhanced, detracted from, or are irrelevant to that peaceful feeling. Or, upon entering a beautiful glen, a person might decide to tread very lightly and leave no trace of their visit. This person