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Can you record and relive the experiences of your life through the spaces around you? Can the architecture surrounding you record and relive its own experiences through life? This project captures the paths travelled throughout the life of The York Watergate, narrating its story through the effects of weathering and decay. The Watergate has stood since 1626 and holds a rich history intertwined with London's Thames. However, it is now known primarily for its past, so how can its experiences be recorded? Through a series of devices, participants can relive and reflect upon their own perceptions, becoming aware of what they notice and how this changes over time. Their bodies are pushed, reflecting what they could once do and what they can no longer now. This is achieved by the form and pathways one can interpret as they approach and explore the confusing and challenging structure. The structure itself stands to outlive the Watergate with accelerated weathering implemented in its design, whereby focused rainwater collection creates moments of loss and users are directed to notice and observe this. Their body and structures, therefore, record the change in perception over a lifetime.
Devices standing on The York Watergate.
Devices leading one to notice specific moments of erosion.
The journey of water from funnels into The Watergate.
Careful placement of designed Devices and Funnels.