Sketch of the Outlook Tower courtesy of the Geddes Archive, Strathclyde University.
Outlook: n. a person's point of view or attitude to life; a view; the prospect for the future.
The Outlook Tower in Edinburgh encapsulates the Geddesian concept of learning through acts as opposed to learning from facts. Geddes described the tower as a "social observatory" from which the city, with its complex relationships and systems could be viewed, explained and analysed. Similarly to how a biologist might use a microscope to examine organisms, cells and their systems, Geddes used the Outlook Tower to analyse the city.
The sketch above shows how exhibitions on the tower were curated by Geddes. He dealt with the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, the English speaking world, Europe and the World in a series of exhibits. These exhibits expanded geographically descending down the tower and thus contextualised Edinburgh on many levels.
From the tower one can view the city on many levels at once. From micro to macro levels, the geographical, historical and social forces which act upon the city can be examined. Geddes would have explained how the geology of Edinburgh, with its craggy terrain has influenced the development of the city. How certain historic events such as the Jacobite invasion subsequently affected the city and its people. This understanding of the city was then related to Scotland, the Commonwealth, Europe and the World.
George Bizet, in an article written in the Leith Observer in 1898, saw the tower as "an essay towards exhibiting things in their mutual relationships". Importantly, it was a visual essay rather than a written one and thus accessible to all. Bizet rejoiced at the prospect of the tower ushering in a new direction in education.
