Landscape ruin: groundmass excavation at Higgovale Quarry

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.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Thomas, Sarah

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Klizner, Tarna

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28143

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/28143