Abstract:
The romantic view of New Zealand as a far-flung British Acadian settlement, is perpetuated in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Lord of the Rings, and national branding strategies such as ‘100% Pure’. Exaggerating the perception of New Zealand on the global stage as being pristine and green, such imagery appears to validate the white lies told about the actual disquieting conditions of the environment. The use of this hyperbole was glibly acknowledged by former Prime Minister John Key describing ‘100% Pure’ as being akin to McDonald’s “I’m Lovin it”1, when he suggested that the slogan be taken with a grain of salt. Concerns about the role fiction plays in our perception of the environment underpins the motivation of this thesis, which concentrates on the endangerment and extinction of New Zealand species. Discussions of methods of assembly, juxtapositions, and hybridisation examine the ethical boundaries and consequences of resurrection, where science pursues control over nature. Ethical boundaries are explored through the fabrication of the fictitious de-extinction island. “Paradise is an island, so is hell” which, assembled from existing fictions and fables, becomes a provocative collage of juxtapositions and dichotomies. The resulting junctions between these seemingly unconnected thoughts, events and imagery, begin to articulate new poetic relationships. The sites Rotoroa and Pakatoa, through their displaced condition in the Waitemata Harbour become the repositories for such desires and consequently the ability of the imaginary condition of islands; to allow for an unencumbered landscape for fiction. The project suggests that architecture can be used as catalysts in divulging social ills, consequently acting to provoke people into self-reflection. The proposal of a de-extinction park creates a curious public spectacle as people flock to watch creation in all its glory, a statement of power over death and the commodification of nature. It aims to raise awareness while also questioning the ever-shifting ethical boundaries and existing archetypes of conservation through speculative and satirical architecture