RESIGNIFY - ' Honorable Mention '

Shelter for Soul International Competition 2019

Theme: A Soul Shelter for Bushfire in Australia

Team: Feng Xue, Helen Chan

Banksia Seeds

Plan

Section

Light Penetration Control

MAIN THEME

Bushfire is one of the most commonly occurring disasters in Australia - a country known for its abundant bushland. The cost of bushfire can be the loss of a home, memories, or lives. Our aim is to respond to the emotions and adversities of Janet, a 75-year-old school teacher who was a victim of the 2018 bushfire in Numbugga NSW whose story resonates with many also impacted by bushfires. Besides the loss of her home, Janet has lost irreplaceable items such as photos of family and friends, letters from her parents and students, and many artefacts which she collected from her travels around the world. Her sadness extends to the loss of native plants which were painstakingly planted around her home as well as the local wildlife.

CONCEPT

The true acceptance of loss is not to forget but to resignify the memory. The aim is to retrieve the memory to destabilise the original trace so we can interfere and resignify it (Piñeyro et al., 2013).

The shelter first acts as a memorial to the loss. It reminds us of the disaster and acceptance of it. Due to the traumatic experience, Janet suffered both physically and mentally. For her, the first step to recovery is to reflect and accept that this loss is irreversible.

A further meaning of the shelter is to redefine Janet’s memory with a change in perspective to the hope of rebirth. Bushfires are often seen as a natural disaster, but in fact it can be important to the local ecological system. Fires destroy old vegetation which in turn gives nutrients back to the earth for the new growth. In Australia, the seeds of certain plants can only be released by heat and smoke allowing for their reproduction. Janet is one of many who chose to inhabit in nature. The shelter encourages Janet to understand and embrace the cycles of nature. Like the seed, Janet is the hope to rebuild her home.

FORM

The form of the shelter is an array of timber panels, representing a book of memories. It enables Janet to look through each page to the ember and ruins. The top of the shelter is formed by ‘tree branches’. It covers Janet under the charred canopy which has been destroyed. The perforated panels are the totem of the shelter. It transforms light whether from fire or sun into stars. Over time, the stars gather and form the ring of the seed in its ceremony, celebrating hope.

REFERENCE

Piñeyro, M. E., Ferrer Monti, R. I., Alfei, J. M., Bueno, A. M., & Urcelay, G. P. (2013). Memory destabilization is critical for the success of the reactivation-extinction procedure. Learn Mem, 21(1), 46-54. doi:10.1101/lm.032714.113