Tears of the RedguM

The project is titled ‘Tears of the Redgum’. TRG is a festival which protests against the overuse of the Murray. The narrative behind the festival is that due to the sustainability neglect of the Murray, the river has dried up and as a consequence, the redgum trees which require the river for survival are suffering and dying. At the end of the LANE-WAY, there’s the redgum tree crying. The LANE-WAY is lined with the tears of the REDGUM represented by bark.

Technical Drawings

Section

In 2013 the River Murray and its associated wetlands was listed as a ‘critically endangered’ ecological community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

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“… narrativization is crucial to the design of narrative environments. This is because narrative environment appeals to the visitor’s intellect through their body and, through their body to their thoughts.”
— Patricia Austin

Austin throughout the text discuss the importance of narrative through the design process. The quote highlights the importance of incorporating narrative through the design process as it allows the visitors to engage with the space intellectually and physically. I have incorporated this notion into the design of my festival proposal. The festival calls for the preservation of the Murray River. It protests the human influence impact on the destruction of the Murray River in an abstract way. The message however directly engages with the visitor’s intellect and the physical design elements engage with the visitor’s body.

Journey Diagram

Precedents

Land(e)scape

1000 White Flags

The Timber Tornado

Land(e)scape was an architectural installation which protested against the endless growth of the low-density suburbs and celebrated the Finnish country side. The installation didn’t require physical participation from audience but rather required the audience to consider the plight of the Finnish countryside. The installation was intentionally burnt down in the same manner the animals they housed were slaughtered.

 

1000 White Flags was a temporary installation which protested against the development of the Finland's Koli National Park and celebrated the madness of the business men who cut down the ancient forest. The installation was constructed from unwanted sheets from psychiatric hospitals and iron bars. The installation required no physical participation of the audience but rather required them to mentally assess the political and environmental concerns.

 

The Timber Tornado is an instillation which utilises timber to create the large tornado form. Multiple pieces of timber were stuck together to create a large volume. The instillation was an inspiration in creating the large symbol river made of many pieces of bark.

  1. Austin, T. "Scale of Narrativity." In Museum Making, edited by S. In MacLeod, 107-18. London: Routledge, 2012.