Beyond the ordinary landscapes: To set apart or to bind together

Abstract

In the paper we argue that ordinary and outstanding landscapes are often considered separate, but in spatial reality they are united, they are the same. The theoretical concept of the Janus face, which distinguishes between the centripetal, inward-orientated face and the centrifugal, outward-oriented face, can also be applied to the consideration of landscapes. The crucial question to which we are seeking an answer is whether and why landscapes could correlate with Janus face? In order to confirm this thesis, we have selected two landscapes to deal with this argument: the exceptional viticultural landscapes of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and the terraced landscapes in general. Both landscapes include two opposing aspects: they are the product of the collective commitment of the ordinary life and work of farmers and they are constructed out of exceptional landscape structures. These aspects are merged together in the landscape’s appearance. The connection of both polarities is particularly important for the recognition of terraced landscapes, which were created already at the beginning of the historical development of landscapes.