Property 15 — Not Separateness
Not Separateness is introduced in
This property is not usually introduced, but maintained as part of an unfolding process. Tension increases when it is ignored, so just as with good shape, the property is used as a way to judge change and reject it if it causes deterioration.
Extending a creation can interrupt the space. The themes can clash rather than contrast. The boundaries can alienate rather than define. When this is the case, we need to resolve the differences back to what they should have been already: adaptations to repair a problem.
The whole thing should be cohesive, not just within itself but also within the environment of which it is a part. It was already mentioned in the section on good shape and positive space how the outside matters. Not-separateness extends to how the thing should be present in the space by complementing it, even healing it of something that currently stresses it.
Loud but dutiful, not pretentious
It means not to stand out[NoO1-01] but to be at home. When thinking about not-separateness, we should regard the outer compound of that which we’re observing because it includes the environment. It would stress the levels of scale to have one element stand out compared to hundreds of others nearby.
Christopher Alexander found it lacking in some buildings. They seemed to shout, ‘Look at me!’1 which harks to an ego-driven creation—a creation that wants to stand out because its value is in its peculiarity or distinctiveness. Perhaps it is trying to say something about the creator. These separated things stem from a sense of self-absorption.
But being obvious is not always separate. Consider grand cliffs, which almost cry out how awe-inspiring they are. But they are very much part of the land. A lighthouse on a peninsula is bright and radiates out for all to see—but not for its sake. A church stands out proudly as a beacon for the faithful, but it welcomes and includes the parish with grounds oriented to create a boundary that smooths any transition.
Not-separateness is a pervasive property for all elements because it requires everything to be somewhat connected; otherwise, it is disconnected. And disconnects are rifts we need to heal.
[NoO1-01] p 231.