Landscape ruin: groundmass excavation at Higgovale Quarry

Thomas, Sarah

Landscape ruin: groundmass excavation at Higgovale Quarry

Master Thesis

2018

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment

Abstract

My study consists of an inquiry into archaeology and palaeontology, and the relationship of 'the dig' to landscape. I focus on the idea that digging or excavating is a process that can reveal ancient landscapes and suggest new narratives. My research revolves around ruin discourse, and the idea that a 'dig' is a sort of ruin in reverse. I began thinking about the criteria that define a ruin and applying them to landscapes. The study culminated in the idea of the landscape being a kind of ruin itself; the experience of a ruin, or ruinenlust, isn't only about a structure that has been dragged down into the ground over time- it's also about light, temperature, plants, views - all the elements that make up our experience of landscape. I set about trying to turn this study into a project - how do I design the idea that all landscapes are ruins? The ideas I had explored of excavation, and especially the image of the 'grid' of excavation as an imposition over the landscape, led me to the Higgovale Quarry site.

Keywords

Landscape Architecture

Reference:

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Masters

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