''genius loci''-alney island

 The genius loci chapter is an interesting chapter that sort of summarizes what ''genius loci'' is. And it's something that is quiet difficult to define. It writes about gardens all over the world, from ancient gardens of rome to persian gardens in the desert and how all these inspire us in the present moment. 

Each place posses a sound, smells,scent,planting and material which makes it unique and distinctive, highlighting the strong importance of the ''sense of place''. As part of our design project, we have been assigned to research a topic each for Alney Island. I happen to research about the ''sense of place'' in Alney Island, an interesting topic, but something that can definitely be considered as subjective.

The subconcious emotional response as soon as I visited Alney is what essentially consists when talking about Genius Loci. The degree of separation between the road cut by the river allowed a sense of calmness, as I just found calmness after a feeling of panic from the busy road. It gives a sense of refuge, mainly because of the majestic presence of the trees that seem to control the place here. 

As said before, we often tend to get inspired by history, Alney Island's rich history is narrated through maps that edge the path, making me contemplate about the thousands of people and changes this place has faced, and sort of making me feel sorry for it for being abandoned in this present moment. 

But perhaps it is best this way, as a zone that flood frequently  it has always, and probably will always belong to nature.