︎Studio 2, Year 3
Gail Lewis
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Between Two Canopies
A potential future exists at bacton gas terminal in which a large scale industrial explosion leaves a vast crater, scarring and decommissioning the site. The clear up process in the aftermath of the tragedy leads into the establishment of a forest and network of mushrooms across the wounded landscape. The site of memory is commemorated in its acceptance of the crater, with the erection of a platform and sloping walkway overlooking the crater. A commune for disenfranchised, disillusioned youths emerges on the platform as the forest matures. This commune acts as an in-between both physically as it is between two canopies (the crater and ground level trees) and symbolically, as it is a sort of halfway house for these new stewards of the gas terminal. The commune allows for the youths to breakaway from the stresses of a world focused on industry and production, reconnecting them with a lost foraging culture. The scheme stretches from the coast and its regimented groins to the depths of the crater, encompassing and regenerating the site into one rich with mycelium and memory.
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