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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.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uct/oai:localhost:11427/28143
Date January 2018
CreatorsThomas, Sarah
ContributorsKlizner, Tarna
PublisherUniversity of Cape Town, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeMaster Thesis, Masters, MLA
Formatapplication/pdf

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