Casino Royale: A SkyCity Heterotopia

Abstract

In the current postmodern era filled with mass media and conspicuous consumption, accumulating objects has become the means by which humans identify themselves. Jean Baudrillard believes that the structure of collecting objects is held together not by objective function but rather by representational desires. Likewise, the accumulation of objects is closely associated with the development of urbanism, where an iconic high rise or a world-class convention centre is often the means by which a city is identified. Casino Royale: A SkyCity Heterotopia employs the theoretical writings on domestic objects by Baudrillard, as well as other theorists, at a city scale in revealing the hidden political and social agendas that has manifested within architectural representations of Auckland. The SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited motivates this research as a collector of objects within the city, which currently already has two of the most visited attractions in Auckland – the Sky Tower and casino at its disposal. Further bolstering its collection is the soon-tobe built New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC), the result of a negotiated deal with the government for further gambling concessions and amendments to the law.1 Given SkyCity’s monopoly in the upholding of the identity and financial wellbeing of Auckland, this thesis draws from a diverse range of news and scandals pertaining to SkyCity in speculating the future of a heterotopic Auckland narrated by these events. This thesis encourages architecture to be seen as an object for thought, an instrument for rethinking a productive and liberated urbanism. Critically challenging and reviewing the spatial politics currently manifested within the city, it grounds the thesis towards the direction that, instead of seeking a solution, it problematizes this ambivalent condition. Through satire architectural propositions, objects, and narratives, it looks to stimulate potential social behaviour and moral reflection in a heterotopic urbanism dominated by political and corporate interests.