Waterfall Looking In
My first memory of Mount Auburn Cemetery is one of embarrassment. At the height of my teenage years, my dad taught photography for a few summers at Harvard. During one of these, my mom dragged my younger brothers and I out to Mount Auburn with a Super8 movie camera and made us run around while she photographed. My brothers were exhilarated and I was mortified. But now I have my mom to thank for indelibly impressing my memory with this world-famous cemetery long before I was interested in landscape...
As a National Historic Landmark in Cambridge, MA, Mount Auburn fulfills many historic, cultural and landscape niches. Its heritage as the first of the rural cemeteries in the early 19C would make it interesting enough, but its pioneering spirit continues in the present. We went to see a recent addition, the Spruce Knoll, a cremation garden by Julie Moir Messervy. Since Julie is one of my landscape heroines, I had seen photos of this space at her lectures. But it is hard place to photograph (even harder on the day we went with contrasty, wet snow) and thus, best experienced in person. It is so successful at embodying a meditative energetic field that I will be including it in my talk on the Human Health and Wellness component of SSI (Sustainable Sites Initiative) at the MELA Annual Conference on February 25, 2010.
One Of The Many Compelling Paths
This garden not only engages thoroughly, but it makes the space feel much larger than it is. Also, the way JMM has built privacy and encouraged intimacy is perfect for the garden's function. I would feel content knowing my ashes were to rest here.
Looking Out In Context
6 comments:
This is all wonderful, Julie. But one last thing you need to do is post that old Super8 movie at YouTube and add the link here.
Would that we still had it anywhere except our very subjective memories...
Mt Auburn Cemetery is truly beautiful--thanks for your blog post and reminding me of this holy place. I also long to see the old Super8 movie!--- sad it is no longer possible...I also have many fond memories of running around with my brother like the Beatles in "A Hard Day's Night" for my father's old movie camera! I think that is pretty much all we ever did in our home movies--run back and forth going nowhere!
ps--the cemetery looks great in the snow--great photos!
I pushed a button and the post published before I could give credit to Liz Muir for the top photo.
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