Reconstructed Memory
Authors:   , Northcott Courtenay 
Published: November 2021

<p>How can the abstract idea of memory be represented through the discipline of landscape architecture? How could this be more specifically achieved within the man-made landscape, using materiality and time as tools within the design process? This thesis essentially addresses the relationship that may exist between landscape architecture and the exploration of selective memory within the landscape. In this case, the definition of memory can be defined by site and urban context. The exploration of theories relating to collective and individual memories, identity in the man-made landscape, materiality and trace will aim to define and anchor memory within landscape architecture. The first part of the research will examine the works of Sebastien Marot, Mark Crinson and Paul Tyrer. On one hand Crinson describes memory as a sense of structure and rhetoric. He suggests that memory cannot be physically represented as the same idea for everyone, leaving memory very subjective. On the other hand, Marot works around the concept of social frameworks of memory. He describes how it is important for landscape architects to understand cities and their spatialised design systems. These reflect the conditioning of memories, described as dense accumulations of traces within the environment (collective memories). The connection between site, social frameworks of memory and the urban realm will be tested through a variety of design interventions. Importantly, a decision needs to be made on whether to design for the collective or individual memories of the site. The second part of this thesis addresses the idea of memory within the man-made landscape. How infrastructure has impacted upon the identity of the natural landscape, which has in turn affected the collective memory of the site within the larger urban environment. The selected site for this research is the former Air Force Base at Shelly Bay, Miramar. Originally a submarine mining depot, the coastal area was reclaimed for military purposes since before World War One. The land has recently been bought by the local Iwi as part of a Treaty of Waitangi Settlement, who plan to develop the site for the public of Wellington. This site is an example of memory bound within a city, providing interstitial spaces to test designs of memory against the collective and individual memories, both man-made and natural. The design experimentation will investigate how memory can be recreated and represented on the chosen site of Shelly Bay. An investigation into temporary and permanent aspects of design, including materiality and weathering, will allow a more in-depth exploration of memory to take place upon the site. The materiality of landscape elements establishes the form and design ideas. The process of the weathering and durability over time makes the design intent visible, and displays the character and identity of the landscape. The ability to bridge the gap between a fixed idea of memory and the realization of that built idea over time could be achieved by allowing for process and change to occur within the design and the site. These concepts will be tested upon the site of Shelly Bay through three specific design interventions. These interventions will aim to test and represent different memories upon the site, both man-made and natural.</p>