Observations: the tideline as evidence of natural time

The tide leaves a line on the sand at the furthest point of its reach, a mark of the presence of water after the water has receded. In summer, when the rhythms of the sea are experienced closely, this line is one of the most visible signs of natural time, the evidence of an entity that acted in a specific place and at a specific time, and then withdrew.
Design materials can also embody a deep connection with natural time. Stone that once was in a riverbed, timber that once was part of a forest… These materials carry the evidence of what has acted on them, of where they have been. Evidence that adds a nourishing sense of time and depth to spaces.

The Observations grow from a daily habit of noticing details in nature and drawing design insights from them. A habit behind A Biophilic Year and the studio’s work. Collected in a monthly digest as part of anooi’s newsletter.