An investigation into the juxtaposition of landscape and place through phenomenology and psychogeography

Abstract

This practice-based study investigates changes in a place, spanning over a series of visits to a location on Manoel Island. My aim is to bring to light possible heterotopic qualities of the site, particularly focusing on environmental and geographical impacts which the space endures. Changes vis-à-vis a juxtaposing Sliema landscape, as well as the space’s very own natural cycle of seasonal terrain, textures, fauna and flora were examined and recorded. This investigation is accomplished by multifaceted practices ranging from walking, photography, and drawing, along with multisensory experiments conducted during these visits, utilizing concepts of phenomenology and psychogeography. This would lead me to find solace in a large misshapen stone in the area, through which I extracted the essence of the location via artistic interpretation. This stone will serve as a focus study for my final project and in my thesis. I will question the role of this stone: how old it is, what it could have "seen", where will it be years from now? Ultimately, I will question my very being in relation to this object within its residing space. My final project, an animation piece, will combine onsite experiences along with a political statement which questions the fundamental connection between man and nature itself.