Rewilding the Protest Route: 1 Method

REWILDING THE PROTEST ROUTE:

THE PATAGONIA SIN REPRESAS MOVEMENT AS A CASE STUDY

PART 1: METHOD

BY: ALICE BARDOS

This project sought to harness the power of people’s cultural connections to their natural landscapes.

People fight for what they perceive of nature, and this is done through the lens of culture. The project looks to Chilean river cultures in a broad sense and specifically via the Patagonia Sin Represas movement.

The environmental movement halted the building of several hydroelectric dams along the Baker River. The strength of the movement came from the ability of people to empathize with one another from one of the most remote parts of the world—Aysén, to a densely populated and distant capital city—Santiago. This connection is analyzed through various scales, which are then used to inform a design methodology.

This project challenges the commonly held notion that the most powerful solutions to enviromental problems come from the wealthy in North America and Europe.

This work was done as a requirement for the completion of an M.Arch degree. The intention is not for any of the interventions to be built, but rather for myself to learn abouth a topic I am deeply passionate about. At most I hope that the discourse that is contributed by this project furthers Chilean design ideas.

Ultimately, the only people who should build monuments to Chilean rivers are Chileans.

This work was completed with the aid of, and in gratitude to my theis committee, Catherine Venart and Sarah Bonnemaison.

Most importantly, it is ingratitude to the strong and perseverant Chilean people, from whom I’ve learned so much. Canada, and specifically, the province of British Columbia can learn so much to learn from you.

THE NATIONAL SCALE: TRACING SETTLEMENT PATTERNS

Geographical scales are used as a way of showing how a localized infrastructure proposal—the HidroAysén dam scale, Chile is a country with distinct continuous geological patterns. It is essentially a landmass bordered by the various peoples have used this landscape in a similar way.

topography TOPOGRAPHY

rivers a A borders RIVERS BORDERS

hydrology HYDROLOGY

Lluta Loa

indigenous territory INDIGENOUS TERRITORY

Ayamaras Atacamenos Changoes

Copaipo

Diaguitas

Elqui

Santiago

Choapa Aconcogua Maipo/ Mapocho Rapel Maule Itata Bio Bio Imperial Tolten Calle-Calle Maullin Yelcho

Chiquintanes Picunches Picunches Pehuenches Mapuches Pueches Huilliches Poyas Cuncos

Palena Aysen

Aysen

Chonos Aonikenk

Baker Pascua

Kawesqar Selknam

Yaganes

ms along the Baker River—became a national issue, inspiring protesting far away in the capital. At the national e ocean to the west, the mountains to the east, and has rivers flowing between the two. Throughout time,

incan empire INCAN EMPIRE

spanish colonial provinces SPANISH COLONIAL PROVINCES

parti THEthe PARTI

EXPANSION

Quito

Cuzco Arica Y Parinacota Tarapaca

Antofagasta

Atacama

Coquimbo

Santiago

Valparaiso Santiago Liberador General Bernardo O’Higgens Maule Nuble Biobio La Araucania Los Rios

Los Lagos

Aysen

Magallanes Y de la Antarctica Chilena

GOLD SMELTER PLACER CITIES

CITIES

TRADE

The settlement similarities gave rise to cultural similarities in the relationships betweeen Chilean people and rivers. The victory of the Patagonia Sin Represas movement was credited to people being able to empathize with each others’s connections to rivers throughout Chile. The connections that were fought for can be divided into groups: religious, indigenous identification, conservationism, culture, and work (Schaeffer 2017:132).

Schaeffer Ortúzar, Colombina. 2017. “Democratizing the Flows of Democracy, Patagonia Sin Represas in the Awakening of Chile’s Civil Society.” In Social Movements in Chile, 131–159. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

CULTURAL GROUPS OF

THE PATAGONIA SIN

REPRESAS MOVEMENT

#)1.+0"/%6*"#"6$)#2'% !"#$/()+#,.#1$&)1$%&G*-%+#+!$,*.#,+ At the regional scale, built cultures are more similar along each river than they are to built cultures along other rivers. The corporate and political leaders who had the ultimate say on whether dams would be built on the Baker River have their headquarters along Santiago’s Mapocho River. Thus, the project compares the two rivers as representatives of the Patagonia Sin Represas movement. The Baker has minimal changes to its natural features, and thus has healthy cultural connections to the landscape.

The built cultures around the Mapocho have heavily effaced nature and obstruct many potential human ;8@@:;<48@5F$

BAKER RIVER

PROPOSED INFRASTRUCTURE %(O#,G*)#+

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AGRICULTURAL FENCES + EROSION AGRICULTURA SUSPENSION BRIDGE

%(!#)!*&G$%(O#,G*)# -&P(,$,(&1 %(!#)!*&G$1&%&,K$G&)1 &',*/0G!0,&G$G&)1 INHABITTED REGION

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HIGHRISE + RAISED

DAM

AL FENCES + EROSION

CONSERVATION AREA

UNDER-CUTTING ROADS

D HIGHWAY + CANAL

DAM

AGRICULTURAL FIELD

UNDER-CUTTING ROADS

AGRICULTURAL FENCES + EROSION

OVERPASS

TUNNEL

CONSERVATION AREA AGRICULTURAL FENCES + EROSION

CRANE

BREAKWATER

FREIGHTER

The polarity in regional building scales gives rise to the idea of comparision. Learning about the importance of rivers in Chilean culture, cannot be understood without both the Baker and Mapocho Rivers.

REGIONAL IDENTITIES OF

THE PATAGONIA SIN

REPRESAS MOVEMENT

THE LOCAL SCALE: BUILDING TYPOLOGIES BAKER

BAKER RIVER Ocean Delta Amid Mountains

River Amid Mountains

Small River Valley

Lake Delta Amid Flat Terrain

Ocean Delta Amid Mountains

Lake Delta Amid Flat Terrain

FISHING BOAT

LIGHT BOAT

STILT HOUSE

HOMESTEAD FARM

STILT STAIRS

WAREHOUSE

PASARELAS

SCULPTURE

DOCK

SOCIAL TERRACES

STILT GAZEBO

RETAINING WALL PATH

KAWESQAR TENT

PASARELAS

KAWESQAR CANOE

DOCK

PARK LAND AGRICULTURAL LAND INHABITTED REGION

MAPOCHO RIVER Ocean Delta Amid Flat Terrain

Large River Valley

Hill Amid Flat Terrain

River Amid Mountains

AGRICULTURAL LAND INHABITTED REGION

L

RIVER

MAPOCHO RIVER

Small River Valley

River Amid Mountains

Ocean Delta Amid Flat Terrain

Large River Valley

Hill Amid Flat Terrain

River Amid Mountains

LIGHT SUSPENSION BRIDGE

SUSPENSION BRIDGE

FREIGHT SHIP

COLONIAL BRIDGE

FUNICULAR

TUNNEL

HOMESTEAD FARM

TUNNEL

CRANE

HACIENDA

BATTERY TOWER

DAM

BARBED WIRE FENCE

BREAK WATER

APARTMENT TOWER

STAIR PATH

POWER TOWERS

RECREATIONAL TENT

FREIGHT TRAINS

INCA HOUSES

PLAZA

MINE

TEHUELCHE TENT

LEVEE PROMENADE

IDOL STAUE

TRAIL

ELEVATED HIGHWAY

CHURCH

TOTEMIC SIGN

CANAL

OBSERVATORY

BURIAL

PARK PATH

PATH

At the local scale, each town, or city along the rivers, has their own set of natural features which have inspired unique building typology. For example, the ocean delta amid mountains along the baker river, inspires a vernacular style on stilts. Meanwhile the ocean delta amid flat terrain of the Mapocho inspires infrastructures of trade.

These unique landscapes and built typologies are the most direct connection between identity formation and nature in the movment. Thus, there is a necessity to represent the particular characteristics of each.

The protest characters, are the national cultural groups who were responsible for the halting of the HidroAysén project, divided into complimentary Baker and Mapocho groups, and further divide into groups living among distinct landscape and architectural typologies.

RIVER NARRATIVES

OF THE PATAGONIA SIN

REPRESAS MOVEMENT

/+6"/%26"/)%()$*+,'% %&!"+ Paths are the assembling of landscape, architecture and infrastructure along lines deemed culturally important. It is these paths that were fought for in the Patagonia Sin Represas movement. Thus, they become the inspiration for monuments in honour of the protest characters. The study of path revolves around identifying critical moments.

BAKER FISHERMAN

+G(O

BAKER MOSAIC ARTIST

BAKER CONSERVATIONIST

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%&/#

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MAPOCHO COLONIAL FARMER

BAKER GAUCHO

FIND

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MAPOCHO GRAFFITI ARTIST

+G(O

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BAKER CATHOLIC

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BAKER TEHUELCHE

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MOTION DECONSTRUCTION HORIZON PATH

REPETITION + PERSPECTIVE FRAMING + REFLECTING

EMERSION

VISUAL EFFECT

ABSTRACTION METHOD

CONTRAST + FRAME

The following is a study of Chilean Photographer, Pablo Valenzuela Vaillant’s work (Vaillant Valenzuela 2017). He makes aesthetic choices to communicate different goals.

These goals are similar to those of the protest characters using their paths. Thus, Vaillant’s choices help to convert the paths into architecture.

FRAMING + REPETITION

Referring back to the national scale of broad similarities between cultural groups, abstraction is used to inform design. Abstraction is a way of creating a building language which can be understood by people of similar cultural groups in Chile regardless of their specific location.

EMPHASIZED DISTORTED LINES

NATIONAL SCALE METHOD: ABSTRACTION

Vaillant Valenzuela, Pablo. 2017. Chile Geometria Del Instante. Santiago: Pablo Valenzuela Vaillant.

NATIONAL SCALE METHOD: ABSTRACTION

The Baker River conservationists read their landscape according to the trail.

BAKER CONSERVATIONST

These are the abstracted languages of each character and cultural group based on the critical moments of their paths.

BAKER FISHERMAN

Space is distorted according to the speed and displacement of horse, horse-drawn cart, and fishing boat.

MAPOCHO FARMER

The workers see their landscape according their vehicles.

BAKER GAUCHO

In a healthy ecosystem, the rhythm of surrounding flora helps the hiker read time and space in order to pace and place themselves.

WALK 7KM/H

TROT 14KM/H

CANTER 20KM/H

CRUISING AT 14-18 KM/H

WALKING 7 KM/H TROT 14 KM/H

GALLOP 45KM/H

TEHUELCHE

The indigenous peoples speak through their spiritual connections to the horizon.

For the Tehuelche, the eastern horizon is important during ceremonies.

SUNRISES: ALL

INCA

For the Inca, the east and west horizons are important where they intersect the sun during the solstices and equinoxes.

SUNRISES/SUNSET: SOLSTICE/EQUINOX

DECONSTRUCT

MOSAIC ARTIST

FIND

RECONSTRUCT

The artists speak according to the deconstructive viewing processes.

The Patagonian mosaic artist: finds, deconstructs, and then reconstructs their subjects.

The Santiago graffiti artist: layers their political views onto the stony grain of the Mapocho canal walls.

MAPOCHO CATHOLIC

BAKER CATHOLIC

GRAFFITI ARTIST

LAYERING

The religious practitioners relate to the river lanscape through the process of emersion.

The Baker river catholics emerse themselves in the Tortel delta for bapsisms.

The colonial era Mapocho river catholics went up Cerro Santa Lucia to emerse themselves in the divine realm of the sky.

SITING CUES: SPATIAL & POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE PROTEST ROUTE

AVENIDA O’HIGGINS: BUSINESS & PUBLIC

Referring to the regional-scale relationship of the Mapocho, Baker River binary, political and spatial elements ex cultures. The Avenida Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins started as a branch of the Mapocho River with sacred me architectures displayed new doctrines on their facades, and a landscaped promenade went along the Boulevard ministry buildings. It has also become a place of work through the building of offices. Many of its river culture e

PASEO BULNES: RESIDENTUAL BUILDINGS

PALACIO DE LA MONEDA: MINISTRY BUILDING

CENTRO CULTURAL LA MONEDA: PLAZA DE LA CUIDADIA

PLAZA ITALIA

LA CAÑADA: FARMING & SACRED

LA ALAMEDA: PATH & INSTITUTIONAL

PASEO AHUMADA: OFFICE HIGHRISES

PALACIO DE LA MONEDA:

UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DE CHILE

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CHILE

LA ALAMEDA: POPLAR TREES

IGLESIA DE SAN FRANCISCO

SPANISH COLONIAL FARM

LA ALAMEDA: PROMENADE

SPANISH COLONIAL BRIDGE

LANDSCAPE: SACRED

IRREGATION DITCH

INCAN WORSHIP HUELITO

RIVER BRANCH

CERRO SANTA LUCIA PARK

CATHOLIC PRAYER CERRO SANTA LUCIA

PASEO AHUMADA: PEDESTRIAN STREET

xist along the largest protest route in Santiago which elicit a reponse via comparison to the Baker River eaning. During the Colonial Period the landscape sustained catholics and farmers. In the republic era, new d. In more recent times the street has intensified in political expression through the addition of plazas and elements have been erased but invite a recognition of the palimpsest and possible intervention.

PROTEST EPICENTRES

PATH

PLAZA

ELEVATIONS

THANK YOU.