Mysticity : Uncovering the Mystical Aspects of Cities
A couple years ago I visited Washington DC for the first time and took it as an opportunity to create urban sketches of some of the landmarks. I spent a lot of time exploring and sketching what I was seeing, pondering on the meaning of things and coming up with various theories based on what I saw and read about the city. It was mesmerizing and inspiring to see all the care that has been put into designing this city.
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| Urban Sketch of the Washington Monument and reflecting pool from Capitol Hill |
There are a lot of interesting theories regarding the design of Washington DC. The one that fascinated me the most is the possibility of the city being designed according to the laws of nature and sacred geometry.
I remember seeing a map of Washington DC with a Vitruvian man drawn on top of it. Vitruvius believed that the human figure was to be the principal source of proportion among the classical orders of architecture. In fact, many churches constructed in the Renaissance era are based on the design of the perfect human figure. What if the human figure was also at the base of the design of the city of Washington DC? Interestingly, when looking at the chakra points, which are energy centres of the body, it looks like each can correspond to a landmark in the city :
I remember seeing a map of Washington DC with a Vitruvian man drawn on top of it. Vitruvius believed that the human figure was to be the principal source of proportion among the classical orders of architecture. In fact, many churches constructed in the Renaissance era are based on the design of the perfect human figure. What if the human figure was also at the base of the design of the city of Washington DC? Interestingly, when looking at the chakra points, which are energy centres of the body, it looks like each can correspond to a landmark in the city :
- Root Chakra : Thomas Jefferson Memorial
- Sacral Chakra : Washington Monument
- Naval Chakra : White House
- Heart Chakra : Lafayette Square
- Throat Chakra : Scott Circle Park
- Third-Eye Chakra : House of Temple
- Crown Chakra : Meridian Hill Park
Some landmarks are more prominent then others. Perhaps it's an indication of where there might be some areas that could use some help in order to create a more balanced and harmonious city. For example the most prominent landmarks along that axis are the Washington Monument and the White House. The Washington Monument represents the Sacral Chakra which is centred around sexuality and creation. George Washington is known as one of the the founding fathers of the United States. The White House represents the Solar Plexus which is centred around personal power and identity. On the other hand Lafayette Square representing the Heart Chakra, centred around Love, and the Scott Circle Park, representing the Throat Chakra centred around Communication and Truth, are present but not as popular.
What if these landmarks dictate the level of development of each aspects of a city's energy? What if just like the human body, cities can become more balanced and harmonious with a proper distribution of energy along each area? What if this applies to any city or town around the world? What if that's one of the reasons why there are so many obelisk landmarks around the world?
This is the starting point of The Mysticity : a fun explorative art project on possible links between the mysteries of urban centres through observations and random thoughts around them.