2022 ASLA GENERAL DESIGN AWARD OF HONOR: 10,000 SUNS: Highway to Park Project / DESIGN UNDER SKY

“之所以选择向日葵，是因为它在视觉上非常醒目，可以生长到10米高，具有向阳性，同时也是一种优秀的授粉者和食物来源。向日葵也是一种植物修复剂，能够从地下吸出毒素。评审会称赞该项目是一个促进社区参与创造宝贵公共空间的理想方法。”
– 2022年评审委员会

“The sunflower was chosen because it’s visually striking, it can grow up to ten feet tall, it’s heliotropic, and it’s an excellent pollinator and food source. It’s also a phytoremediator, capable of sucking toxins out of the ground. The jury lauded the project as a great way to involve the community in the creation of a cherished public space.”
– 2022 Awards Jury

来自 ASLA 对gooood的分享。
10,000 SUNS: Highway to Park Project | DESIGN UNDER SKY

项目陈述
Project Statement

“10000个太阳”是一年一度的夏季植物表演，超过1万棵向日葵种子被种植和培育在一块棕地上，直到前一段时间，这块土地被I-195公路占据（现已拆除），后者将普罗维登斯市区一分为二。凭借几袋种子和当地志愿者组成的多样化社区，这块曾经的空置土地每年夏天都会被改造成一个具有生物多样性且充满艺术氛围的公共空间。

10,000 Suns is an annual summer-long botanical performance in which over 10,000 sunflower seeds are planted and nurtured over the summer months on a brownfield site that until recently was occupied by the now removed I-195 Highway which bisected the city of Providence. Using only a few bags of seeds and a diverse community of local volunteers this once vacant land is transformed each Summer into a bio-diverse and artfully activated public space.

▲“10000个太阳”项目鸟瞰。普罗维登斯的天际线成为了该项目的背景，新建的人行桥则是终点所在。Aerial drone footage of the 10,000 Suns Project. The Providence skyline serves as the backdrop for the project while the newly constructed pedestrian bridge terminates into it. © Mike Cohea

项目说明
PROJECT NARRATIVE

2010年，在将城市一分为二的I-195公路改道之后，罗德岛州和普罗维登斯市全面开放了新的公路，并开始为原公路留下的大片“伤疤”提出开发计划。多年以来，市区内存在大量未被开发的土地，这些土地作为原先的公路空间被划定为棕色用地。

在见证这些闲置地块存在六年之后的2016年，项目团队向负责其开发的I-195委员会提交了一份倡议，旨在创造一场“植物学表演”。这是一项由社区建造的大地艺术作品，通过种植10000株向日葵来填补空旷的城市街区，并与城市的天际线相呼应。该项目在财政和基础设施方面的要求非常低：只需在土地中埋下种子，预算仅为1000美元。该提案得到了委员会的热烈响应，随后，项目开始了第一阶段的实施。

不过，该项目仍然具有一个颠覆性的意图：通过让不同志愿者参与播种行动以及种子的持续维护，可以创造出一个“参与式景观”，以培养社区成员的所有权和自豪感，同时提高人们对“景观是城市基础设施的重要组成部分”这一事实的认知，重塑人们对该地区势不可挡的城市发展的质量的预期。

每年春天，项目团队都会发出呼吁，邀请并鼓励各行各业的人协助播种。参与者不需要有事先的经验，它们可以通过简单的演示来熟悉这一过程。根据参与者能力的不同，团队也会安排不同的任务，以确保人人都能参与。种植的时间段也有所不同，这使得不同群体都能够有机会亲自来到现场：可以是几个小时或几分钟，每个人都可以轻松自由地调整他们的时间。

向日葵是一种非常神奇的植物，之所以选择种植向日葵，取决于以下几个原因：首先，它的花朵非常醒目，从很远的地方就能看到，而且在适当的条件下，仅需60天就能生长到10英尺（约3米）高。其次，它具有向阳性，能够随着太阳的轨迹改变位置。同时，向日葵还是强大的授粉者和食物来源，可以主动吸引蜜蜂和鸟类。不仅如此，向日葵还是一种植物修复剂，具有从地下吸出毒素的能力。鉴于以上这些品质，项目团队试图将向日葵种植在在这片空旷（且受到污染）的土地上，并为其赋予了“夏季植物学表演”的主题。

回顾该项目经历的六个季节，其所在的土地状况发生了显著的转变。最值得注意的是，在某个开花期的周末下午，数百人被吸引前往参观和拍摄合影——其中一部分游客只是为了体验在向日葵花海中观赏落日沉入城市天际线的奇妙时刻。另外不容易觉察到的还有生态环境的转变，由于向日葵可以清除场地土壤内的毒素，它们成功吸引了成千上万不同种类的蜜蜂，使其在向日葵茎秆的保护下找到安全的居所，并在结种时为各种不同的鸟类提供食物。成排生长的向日葵还与场地中种植的本地草甸结合在一起，共同创造出丰富且具有生物多样性的林下叶层。

场地中还设置了为昆虫和蜜蜂准备的“旅馆”，不仅作为亟需的气息地，还提供了教学的功能，以告知游客有关该场地的生态以及城市景观的整体状况。考虑到该区域缺乏公共座椅，设计还特意增加了定制的红色椅子，当人们在整个空间中自由穿梭时，它们将为场地增加一个具有雕塑质感的层次。

来自州内各地（以及其他地区）的游客无不被这鲜亮的花田所深深吸引，这从Instagram上相关话题（#10000suns）的搜索量便能够感知一二。令人出乎意料的是，该项目还收到了不少游客的私人反馈与信件，他们在其中讲述了这块简单的土地对其生活所产生的重大影响。例如，一位女士曾经带着她患有严重痴呆症的母亲来访，令她意想不到的是，母亲停下来抓住了女儿的手说道：“向日葵！你在婚礼上就拿着向日葵！”这无疑是一个令人感动的时刻，这位游客眼含热泪讲述了这个故事，并对这个项目表达了谢意。

另外一位女性在前年遇到了交通事故，她将生长中的向日葵花田作为她步行康复过程中的动力来源。

还有一位回到普罗维登斯参加父亲葬礼的男士表示，在最艰难的时期，他曾在这片土地上寻找到极大的慰藉与平静。

以上只是诸多例子中的一小部分。“10000个太阳”能够为人们的生活带来潜在的影响，而在更大范围内，它能够促使人们去关注发展和成长的可能性，同时证明景观并不仅仅是一处等待建筑落成的土地。通过与相关领域人士的频繁互动，项目团队相信，这处景观至少培养了人们对景观倡议项目的多重理解，并为景观设计师提供了在普罗维登斯的未来城市规划中施展拳脚的机会。

▲花丛中的惬意时光：两个朋友在镶嵌于花田间的圆形小空间里交谈。Relaxing in the Bloom. Two friends have a private conversation from within a small circular space carved in the field. © Adam E. Anderson

▲从田野上方俯瞰：这块场地按照一系列圆圈进行种植，间隔空间形成了蜿蜒的小路。较小的圆圈内是私密的聚会空间，里面摆放着雕塑般的红色座椅。Aerial View from Above the Field. The field is planted in a series of circles with the space between forming a meandering path. Smaller circles within form intimate gathering spaces with sculptural custom red chairs. © Adam E. Anderson

▲场地平面图展示了田野的图案、昆虫/蜜蜂旅馆、定制的红色可移动座椅、鸟屋以及暂时性的大地艺术作品。Site Plan. Site plan showing the field patterns, insect/bee hotels, custom red moveable chairs, bird houses, and ephemeral land art pieces © Design Under Sky

▲初始概念拼贴：这幅拼贴画是用来向I-195委员传达概念的两张图纸之一。Initial Concept Collage. This collage was one of two images used to convey the concept to the I-195 Commission © Design Under Sky

▲种植阶段的社区志愿者：每年春天，该项目都欢迎不同的社区成员参与到建设中来。Community Volunteers During Planting. Each Spring a diverse range of community members are welcome to join in the building of the project © Adam E. Anderson

▲当地的弦乐四重奏乐团为游客演奏：该场地经常作为当地组织活动的场所。照片中是一家当地杂志正在为首发刊物举办活动，他们邀请了当地乐团Musicworks进行表演。A Local String Quartet Entertains Visitors. The field often serves as a venue for other local organization events. Here a local magazine held an event for their debut issue and invited a the local music group Musicworks to perform © Adam E. Anderson

▲夏夜中的10000个太阳：一群朋友在场地内的圆形空间里即兴地聚会和庆祝。Summer Nights in 10,000 SUNS. A group of friends have an impromptu celebration from within one of the circular spaces in the field © Adam E. Anderson

▲金色海洋：两位游客沉浸在金色的花海中，暂时告别城市生活。Sea of Gold. Two visitors take a break from city life in sea of golden bloom © Adam E. Anderson

▲鸟儿和蜜蜂：蓝色的小鸟屋点缀在向日葵上方。Birds and Bees. Small blue bird house emerge just above the Sunflowers © Adam E. Anderson

▲游客们聚集在一起参观场地并倾听演讲：该场地时常被用作教学空间以交流城市景观、发展和生态问题。Visitors Gather for Site Tour and Lecture. The site is often used as an educational space to communicate issues of Urban Landscape, Development, and Ecology. © Sasha Azbel

▲夏夜的魔术：当地表演者经常在花田上为众多游客带来趣味性的娱乐活动。照片中，一位“泡泡艺术家”制造了一个巨大的泡泡，被孩子们（也包括大人）追逐着。Summer Night Magic. Local performers often entertain the many visitors at the field. Here a “bubble artist” creates giant bubbles that were chased by children (and some adults!) © Adam E. Anderson

▲探索与发现：一个小女孩正在花田间探索前行。有趣的是，这些供她游玩的向日葵正是女孩自己帮忙种植的。Discovery and Wonder. A young girl explores the wonder between the rows, and what hidden worlds lay within them. Fun fact, this little girl helped plant these very sunflowers she now is playing in. © Alexis Freitas

▲原地“筑巢”：每年，前一年留下的秸秆都会被用于在现场塑造大地艺术作品。In Situ “Nest”. Each year the stalks from the previous year are used to build in situ land art © Adam E. Anderson

▲以“10000个太阳”为灵感的艺术作品：短短几年内，这块土地已经成为普罗维登斯的标志性形象，它激发了各种各样的艺术创作。10,000 SUNS Inspired Art. The field has become an iconic image of Providence in just a few years, and has inspires a wide variety of artful depictions © Images gifted to the project from a variety of local artists

▲盛开：八月，盛开的花田正值最美的时节。In Full Bloom. The field at its finest, in full bloom in August © Adam E. Anderson

Project Narrative

In 2010 the state of Rhode Island and the city of Providence after redirection of the I-195 highway which bisected the city fully opened the new highway location and began development plans for the large “scar” of the former highway location. Many large tracts of land within the city limits were left undeveloped for many years. Being former highway space, these tracts of land were also designated brownfield sites.

After witnessing the unused parcels for six years, in 2016 we submitted an unsolicited proposal to the I-195 Commission, the entity in charge of its development, to create what we called a “botanical performance”. Using the sunflower, we proposed a community built land art piece that would fill an entire vacant city block by planting 10,000 sunflowers with the city’s skyline as a backdrop. The financial and infrastructural commitment was very low with only planting seeds in the ground and a proposed budget of $1,000. The proposal was received enthusiastically by the Commission and the project began its first stages of implementation.

However, there was a subversive intent with the project. We believed that by engaging a diverse range of volunteers with the planting of seeds and continuous maintenance, we could create a “participatory landscape”, fostering a sense of ownership and pride while raising awareness for the importance of landscape as a critical piece of urban infrastructure, as well the expectations for the quality of urban development that would inevitably come to the area.

Each Spring a call goes out inviting and encouraging all walks of life to assist in the sowing of the seeds. No prior experience is needed and simple demonstrations are made to educate about the process. There are a wide variety of tasks that allow for people with a wide range of capacities and abilities to participate. We also plant at different time frames to allow people with different schedules the opportunity to make it to the site. They may come for hours or minutes, and free to come and go as they please.

The sunflower is an incredible plant, and was selected for several reasons. For one its bloom is striking, easily visible from a great distance, and given the right conditions, can grow ten feet tall in only sixty days. It’s heliotropic, meaning it changes position with the path of the sun. It’s a great pollinator and food source, actively attracting bees and birds. And, it is a phytoremediator, having the capability of sucking toxins out of the ground. It was these qualities that we sought to deploy the sunflower onto this vacant (and polluted) land in what we referred to as a “summer long botanical performance.”

Reflecting back on now six seasons of the project The visible transformation of the land has been remarkable. Most noticeable by the hundreds of people it draws during the bloom on a weekend afternoon, visiting to capture a family photo, or simply to experience the magical moment of seeing the setting sun behind the city skyline amongst a sea of sunflowers. Less noticeable is the ecological transformation, as the sunflowers work to clean toxins present in the soil on site, they also bring a variety of bee species by the thousands, ground plovers who have found refuge in the protection of the sunflower stalks, and feeding frenzy for a variety of bird species when the seeds appear. The rows of the sunflowers are also integrated with native meadow seeding, creating a rich biodiverse understory.

Insect and bee hotels with information signage have been added to site as not only a much needed habitat but as didactic experience to better inform visitors about the ecology of the site and urban landscapes in general. A dearth of public seating in the area warranted the addition of custom made red chairs, adding sculptural layer to the site as people move them freely throughout the space

It is clear people from all around the state (and beyond) are attracted to the striking bloom, demonstrated by a Instagram search of #10000suns. However, the project has received many personal notes and letters from people who have expressed the impact this simple field has had on their lives that we could not have anticipated, and certainly did not plan for. For example, a woman visiting with her mother with severe dementia, told of the story of how the sunflowers somehow sparked a moment of clarity in her mother. She stopped, grabbed her daughter’s hand and said: “Sunflowers! You held sunflowers at your wedding!” A touching moment as she told the story with tears in her eyes and was thankful for the project.

Another woman, a victim of a hit and run accident the year before, used the growing sunflower field as her inspirational location for walking rehabilitation.

A man returning to Providence for his father’s funeral, expressed he found great comfort and peace in the field during a difficult time.

These are but a few of many examples of the potential impact the 10,000 Suns can bring to people’s lives, but at a larger scale it has brought the attention of development possibilities, and that landscape is not merely land waiting for a building. Through many interactions with people in the field we believe it has at least cultivated a greater understanding of landscape initiatives and increased the likelihood that landscape architects will share a place at the table when further urban development in Providence is planned.

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