I have been thinking about form lately (the mounding variety in particular), and the way it plays with light, shadow, and a sense of the tangible. Two specific images have been coming to mind repeatedly, the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, Philippines, and the Yareta plant in the higher elevations of South America. I believe if you or I were to come across these in their native locations we would probably scratch our heads and smile in curiosity and delight. I think we would feel wonder.
It is when I see that such creations exist naturally in our world, that I think we ought to be a bit more daring and adventurous in our design work.
The Chocolate Hills: Grass-covered limestone. The conical domes and mounds vary in height - from 98 to 164 feet with the tallest being 390 feet tall. They cover an area of 20 square miles. The green grass turns a chocolate brown during the dry season, thus the name Chocolate Hills.
The Llareta plant: Native to South America. It grows at altitudes between 10,500 and 14,800 feet and is found in the Puna grasslands of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile and western Argentina. It grows approximately 1.5 centimeters a year and many Yareta are thought to be over 3,000 years old.
