"Perhaps all that is left of the world is a wasteland covered with rubbish heaps, and the hanging gardens of the Great Khan's palace. It is our eyelids that separate them, but we cannot know which is inside and which is outside."
- Italio Calvino
The imagined demise of Nay Pyi Daw. The visual breaking-down of the physical leads one along the first steps towards a re-imagining of potential spaces and places.
The way we as architects sort and translate various interpretations of an object and construct them as realities for others are intrinsically linked. The visualization of an object’s abstraction cannot be divorced from modes we use to interpret it. To explore the overlap in greyscapes, and the various ways they are physically represented, it is important to acknowledge that nothing is concrete or immutable; there are no “facts” per say. Instead, both facts and memories are not only constructs, but are constantly being constructed.
Due to the fact that both facts (our representation) and memories (our interpretations) are constructs does not mean that we should not question and thoroughly examine. In fact it is extremely important to examine our interpretations of an object and how we represent it- a process to which the discipline of architecture greatly excels. The discourse behind all great works of architecture actively engage in critiquing and questioning the product of an architect’s interpretations, however it is equally important to hold up the same mirror of scrutiny to our initial modes of representation. Once we do that our modes of representation not only belie our initial interpretations, but also that our means of communicating these greyscapes are based on assumptions and biases. This inward reflection back towards our personal greyscapes acknowledges bias, assumptions, and untruths that are inherent in memory making and keeping.
Looking at various modes of representation and their under lying biases, is not however a negative, but instead acknowledges the way greyscapes exist within ourselves. Unbiased representations of abstractions do not truly exist when there is a need to communicate ideas within an organized discipline. It is when we fail to honor the biases and contradictions within our modes of representation that we lose the ability to freely discuss the root of our interpretations and memories.
Imagined elevations and sections both over grown by time and nature
Through the process of exploring and representing past and present Burmese Architecture a new taxonomy emerged. This new taxonomy was created via the intersection of time and memory. Specifically the intersection that engages the phenomenon of how memories are perpetually being constructed, deconstructed, and reimaged overtime. Nothing is static, let alone our memories.
By actively mutating past and present Burmese architecture the resulting analysis reveals and creates new spaces that allow for a more fertile conversation between eras.