Beside The Sea. Reviewed Work: Where Land Meets Sea: Coastal Explorations of Landscape, Representation and Spatial Experience by Anna Ryan

Where Land Meets Seais a fascinating and important book. It is fascinating not least because of the range of voices that we hear on the subject of the human relationship to landscape, from the explorers, philosophers, geographers and artists to the diverse group of research participants who happen to walk bythe sea and who are prepared to share their experiences of that activity. The interweaving of these voices not just in words but also in paintings, photographs and drawings forges a new reading of our relationship to landscape and draws us into a deeper awareness of our surroundings. Ryan’s research suggests that our relationship to our environment may not be as dysfunctional as we had thought, but that it is, generally, unconscious. Her mission, or political intent,is to make our spatial embodiment conscious – to raise our awareness of our connectedness with the environment, with nature and with the earth.