Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington
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(Re)covered Memory: Memorialisation, Race, and Architecture

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thesis
posted on 2021-11-23, 01:04 authored by Wiles, Max

The tendency to record only built memory and significant events in architectural practice means that less tangible cultural memory is prone to erasure. This is prevalent in the memories of the other which often diverge from the majority, and so are not considered for preservation. In this context, cultural memory refers to the intangible qualities and experiences which define place, associated with a particular group. While initiatives such as heritage listings can preserve the physical history of place, little is done to preserve intangible history which has been lost through development and gentrification.  To investigate strategies for reasserting cultural memory in urban space, Haining Street in Wellington is engaged as a site. From approximately 1890 to 1960, Haining Street was Wellington’s Chinatown and home to the largest Chinese population in New Zealand. Despite a long, and often controversial history, this legacy has virtually been erased from the contemporary streetscape, creating an area of note only for a vanished past. This thesis proposes that the memory of Haining Street’s Chinese past can be reasserted through an artist in residence scheme, consisting of a gallery, workshop and accommodation.  Architectural intervention within spaces where history has been erased can reassert memory of the other, creating an identifiable place by: memorialising the intangible qualities of place, engaging with the legacy of race in the built environment, and creating a sensual experience of place. This research suggests that architecture has the potential to reconcile conflicted recollections of the past through an active engagement with the memory of place.

History

Copyright Date

2017-01-01

Date of Award

2017-01-01

Publisher

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Rights License

Author Retains Copyright

Degree Discipline

Architecture

Degree Grantor

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Degree Level

Masters

Degree Name

Master of Architecture (Professional)

ANZSRC Type Of Activity code

970112 Expanding Knowledge in Built Environment and Design

Victoria University of Wellington Item Type

Awarded Research Masters Thesis

Language

en_NZ

Victoria University of Wellington School

School of Architecture

Advisors

Skinner, Robin; Thomas, Geoff