Abstract:
The condition diminishes the ability to use memory and projection to see beyond the current situation and create a coherent understanding of the environment. The loss of the ability to navigate oneself in the world presents a profound challenge for our discipline. This thesis explores how an architectural experience can enable somebody to empathise with a dementia patient’s inability to navigate space. The design process follows the diary entries of Gerda Saunders, a South African writer, as she documents her experience after being diagnosed with dementia at the age of 61. A series of installations embodying Saunder’s spatial deterioration aim to translate human experience into an architectural composition. Stationed around various sites in Lake Brunner, New Zealand, the installations aim to connect to those living in the small town and intrigue those who visit. Architecture has been used as a means of narrative and emotion, rousing a sense of empathy within visitors; providing them with a greater understanding of such a condition.