Beginnings
Mokuleia, Hawaii
My place of birth at 21˚ 19' latitude 157˚ 52' longitude in the northern hemisphere was recorded on a warm Christmas Day in 1971. My childhood playground was Mokuleia, on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, where the dynamic physical relationship between the sun, the earth, the moon and their gravitational pulls and spins, are evident in the ocean’s cycle of tides and waves. This perpetual pulse creates a sense of time, order and place that, when combined with the forest, meadow, and water, form the most natural of playgrounds. This variety of spaces influenced my perception of enclosure, openness, and movement that were essential to developing my understanding of the physical environment.
“Catching the Wave” is the name of my most memorable experience of space, which occurred at the age of six. I was floating on my boogie board in the clear depths off shore. The gentle waves pushed me up and down, always changing my reference to the horizon. Then, I saw the big one. My heart palpitated as I paddled with fear, trying to gain speed. Soon I was picked up and forced forward out of the water, in flight, catching the wave.
Now in heaven - riding the wave - I smiled with joy, not caring that salt water was seeping into my mouth. But, the thrill soon turned to horror as the wave began to break at the shore. Losing my board, I was forced beneath the surface - eaten alive - and wondering which way was up. After eight twists and turns with only one breath, I landed back on the warm sandy beach, catching my breath, finding my board, and, ultimately, venturing out for more.
When reviewing my childhood memories, it becomes clear that these patterns of thought and experience shape the space we encounter. The touch of the warm sand gave me security; the flux of the ocean was a thing to be both feared and celebrated, turning my physical experiences into emotional ones. It is these childhood memories to which I reconnect whenever I begin to design a physical space.