The theme of the 2019 Overlook Field School was Difficult Landscapes - those intractable spaces that we struggle to see, understand, manage, and design. These landscapes can be opportunities for landscape architects but are often outside of traditional practice, particularly when they fall outside of traditional landscape typologies. Over the course of five weeks, program participants closely studied the difficult landscapes found on the Overlook property using a selection of historical and contemporary instruments. Their observations were translated through drawings, photographs and temporary installations – design research for identifying what made their landscape difficult. Finally, they constructed an instrument which interpreted this difficulty for a larger audience.

Carolyn Corl’s prototype, “Cyano-Secchi: An Instrument for Examining Lake Sediment Buildup Through Abstraction,” received an Honor Award in Student Design by the Oregon Society of Landscape Architects in 2019