Design Report

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Mont Saint Michel // Island Territories iv

A GARDEN FOR AN ANCHORITE

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A GARDEN FOR AN ANCHORITE Mont Saint Michel // Island Territories iv A Design Thesis by Stuart Gomes & Tom Carney

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A thank you to those who contributed towards the thought and design efforts of this thesis project.

To Adrian and Vicky for their continual support and guidance throughout the year; to Malcolm, Paul, Richard, Paul and Catriona for their help with fabrication; and to all our colleagues whom we worked alongside in the studio.

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introduction Working within the grounds of the island commune of Mont Saint Michel and the bay in which it finds itself, this thesis project has been built upon during a years academic research and design to formulate a response to its nature. A Garden for an Anchorite learns from the nature of the bay that surrounds the island and re interprets it to give an imagining of a new provision for the ancient rituals that take place within the island.

This design report describes the making of A Garden for an Anchorite through the tectonic language of the project alongside the working methodologies that have allowed for such tectonics.

A series presented as; Anchoring, Seeding, Masking, Crafting and Harvest, describes the thesis, narrated through the ritual of the anchorite, whom inhabits the proposed garden.

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how to read The studio of Island Temporalities, in which this thesis project has been created, runs collaboratively between both the integrated and modular studios. Stuart took part in the integrated studio, with the first year being focused on an archival exploration of Venice, the Querini Stampalia and the Arsenale.

The second year then focuses on Mont Saint-Michel, where the sole focus of the Modular studio lies, and the studio in which Tom was involved in. The document uses the second year as the core structure of the thesis, with booklets in miniature, describing the first year project where appropriate. These booklets are printed on heavier paper, representing the footings for thought with the work set in Mont Saint-Michel.

2020 Sept

Year 01 Venice // The Querini Stamplia

The Mask and the Mechanism - solo project Stuart Gomes

2021 Jan

Venice // Rio dell’ Arsenale

A Guild of the Arsenale Nouvo - solo project Stuart Gomes

Year 02 Sept

2022 Jan

Mont Saint-Michel

Houses of Estrangment - Solo Projects Stuart Gomes & Tom Carney

Mont Saint-Michel

Garden for an Anchorite - Collaborative project Stuart Gomes & Tom Carney

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Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel

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Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel Venice

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Venice

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Venice project shown within smaller booklet

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sequence The design report works through the thesis via a set of rituals towards producing harvest for the meals which will be consumed by those using the multileveled refectory of the island Abbey. Each move describes a transition through scales, from the wider reaches of the bay down to the turning of a handle on the press of a cider mill.

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[first ritual] anchoring Describes how the garden has been anchored through the idea of solidarity and devoted ritual, similar to that of an anchorite, a religious hermit who confines themselves to a cell to devote their life to prayer. Here, the bay and the island are imagined as the character of the anchorite in their box* and how each respond to the world outside their own.

[second ritual] seeding Explores the process in which the garden has been imagined through existing landscape conditions within the bay. Such conditions have been captured through lines of sight from Mont Saint Michel, allowing a careful consideration of the best response to the weather conditions that exists in the bay.

[third ritual] masking To survey, to cultivate, to shelter and to conceal; can all be operated through the use of a mask. In this thesis project, the use of the mask is broken down into these four acts, seeded by the initial demand of the houses of estrangement born out of the first semester and planted into the Garden for an Anchorite in semester two.

[fourth ritual] crafting Demonstrates the act of making through a considered hand focused craft. This is shown from the crafting of a new horizon, a new bay and a new garden, through to the crafting of the tools necessary to produce the meal for the Abbey on Mont Saint Michel.

[final ritual] harvest Celebrates the yield of landscape and architecture as isolated objects, as products of a process of anchoring, seeding, masking and crafting.

*An anchorites box or cell is a permanent containment of an anchorite within a church or cathedral, accessed only via the anchorites window.

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FINAL IMAGE 2

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Contents Prologue Thematic Terminology Glossary Narrative [first ritual] anchoring i. an anchorite’s bay ii. an anchorite’s island iii. an anchorite’s ritual iv. an anchorite’s garden [second ritual] seeding i. seeding a landscape ii. footings; seeded iii. fields; seeded iv. gates; seeded v. bedding; seeded [third ritual] masking i. to survey ii. as an aperture iii. as a shelter iv. to conceal [fourth ritual] crafting i. the bay ii. the fields iii. tools iv. the meal [final ritual] harvest i. yeild

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PROLOGUE garden for an anchorite

A Garden for an Anchorite is a considered curation of landscape conditions from the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel re-scaled to the northern shore of the Abbey island. A series of granite and copper polders, sourced from adjacent quarry islands and copper mines, anchor a garden to a dynamic tidal landscape of silt flats. These polders, reclaimed field conditions in miniature, allow for the cultivation of local produce to provide for the daily needs and seasonal feasts of the Abbey refectory above.

With the setting of a new horizon cast to the ancient pilgrimage crossing of Genest to the northwest, apertures found within the island walls provide a series of cones of vision which capture specific landscape conditions from the bay, marsh land, polders, rivers, agricultural provisions and silt flats. In the Anchorite’s Garden these conditions are re-calibrated, re-stitched, folded, unfolded, cut, scaled and re-scaled as walls and walks, harbours, fields, masks and stairs. Thus creating a new parterre for the Abbey mount as a rich experiential field, a distilled environmental, geographical, cultural, religious and social terrain.

Existing landscape tectonics of the bay offer models of resistance and resilience for the architectural garden. The garden harbours both a vulnerable tethering and a protected anchoring of space as places for: cultivating, dwelling, crafting, sheltering from the wind, rain and tides. The project echoes life within the bay, its historical, religious, environmental and social practices, all in a manner that welcomes the inevitable reclamation of the bay.

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[Thematic Terminology]

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chamber

“an archaic asrchitectural term for a small, private room, often within a large building of multiple rooms and functions such as a palace or official residency: it is both a place of intimacy, of rest and of the individual imagination.”

field

“the development of a complex form of representation. It is understood to be both a geographical locus of interest, a climatic condition, architectural artefacts, landscapes, cultivated and uncultivated land, conceptual prompts, narrative threads, fictional and real inhabitants.”

garden

“is a landscape in the form of a room. Conventionally, this is an exterior room but in an architectural context it could be deep within a buildings interior. It is a core sample of a far greater set of landscape concerns, a metonymic fragment of a Scapeland.”

gate

“an articulate threshold that, through its refined detail, suggests the nature of the more vaguely conceived world beyond. Initially operating as a tool and catalyst for examining in greater detail the neighbourhood of a particular part of a territory”

house of estrangement

“the simple function of a dwelling for one person devised within the complex narrative of trying to make sense of a new place”

island

“a cultural, social, spatial, infrastructural and environmental assemblage of architectures and landscape condition. The Island should have multiple concerns that house various occupants and choreograph a more complex programmatic agenda”

landscape

‘there would appear to be a landscape whenever the mind is transported from one sensible matter to another, but retains the sensorial organization appropriate to the first, or at least a memory of it. The earth seen from the moon for a terrestrial, the countryside for the townsman; the city for a farmer.

ESTRANGEMENT (dépaysment) would appear to be a precondition for landscape.’

parterre

“the immediate context that tethers the chimera to the greater landscape via the disposition of an island city.”

plane table

“an analogue deviceused in the field for surveying and cartography; within the Venice atelier, the Plane Table beomes a bespoke and complex cartographic tool that describes aspects of the strange world beyond the walls of the chimera.”

seeding

“seeding islands is the conceptual framework, a process germinating from the kernels of the houses of estrangment. The landscape of thge bay of Mont SaintMichel - from the inner grain of thge abbey to the tapestry of polder fields - will be the territory in which these seeds are cast”

shipwrecking

“the idea of the shipwreck brings with it a fascination for tectonics, for the make-up of things and their articulation - thge considered indipendance and interplay of thge material elements of a vessel’s construction”

vessel

“It can denote any hollow container such as a cup, basin or barrel but also a dinghy, yacht or super tanker. It is a receptacle, it receives; it is a container, it contains; and it is a holder, it holds.”

[Glossary]

anchorite

“a withdrawal from society in order to lead a life of seclusion as an act of fulfilling their devotion”

anchorite’s Window

“the anchorite’s window is the threshold between the anchorite and the monks as offerings from the garden in the timber husks for the monks to collect.”

abbey

“the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, the destination of a key pilgrimage route through Europe, existing since the 9th Century”

apertures

“architectural and spacial openings found within the bay and island of Mont Saint-Michel, often used to describe the view of the horizon”

arpenteur

“the arpenteur, or surveyor, is to observe, monitor, mirror and document the daily human and environmental aspects of Mont Saint Michel and it’s bay”

bay

“the area surrounding the island of Mont Saint-Michel, stretching out to the Chaussey islands and to the polders below”

cultivate

“a capturing and re-established understanding of a certain surveyed landscape or ideal, often relating to the bay of Mont Saint-Michel and its horizon”

chaussey Island

“large granite outcrop 30km north of Mont Saint-Michel, historically used as a quarry for the stone construction of the Abbey”

mask

“a device for surveying, cultivating, sheltering and concealing”

merveille

“a 13th Century addition to the Abbey, the Merveille contains the refectory, knights hall, pilgrims room and cloister, all overlooking the bay to the north”

polder

“a reclaimed low-lying area of land that forms an artificial field enclosed by embankments known as dikes”

refectory

“a three storey refectory, hierarchically separated vertically with the Monks at the top, moving down to the Kings and then pilgrims refectory at the bottom”

ritual

“the anchorites actions performed according to the prescribed order of harvesting”

survey

“examine and record the area and features of Mont Saint-Michel and its bay so as to construct a map or plan of the landscape”

tombelaine

“A second granite outcrop island in close proximity to Mont Saint-Michel that has historical equivalence with the Abbey island”

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[The Anchorite’s Ritual] [first ritual] anchoring

[second ritual] seeding

i. an anchorite’s bay

i. landscape

ii. an anchorite’s island

ii. footings

iii. an anchorite’s ritual

iii. fields

iv. an anchorite’s garden

iv. gates

v. bedding

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[third ritual] masking

[forth ritual] crafting

[final ritual] harvest

i. to survey

i. the bay

i. yeild

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ii. as an aperture

ii. the fields

iii. as a shelter

ii. tools

iv. to conceal

iv. the meal

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Mont Saint-Michel & the bay

“The rock which rises majestically in the middle of the immense estuary extending from the coasts of Normandy on the north to those of Britanny on the south and the sea on the north-west has been called Mont Saint-Michel from the eighth century.” 1 As Corroyer notes, the island has been named so, from when Saint-Michel appeared several times in the dreams of a bishop of Avranches named Saint-Aubert, demanding him to construct an abbey on the rock in the bay. 2 Since then the island has undergone several transformations and additions, including the Merveille, which begun in 1203. The Merveille, set on the North side of the Abbey, has been the tethering point to the island for both the houses of estrangement and the garden.

1. Edouard Corroyer, Descriptive Guide of Mont Saint-Michel, (Paris: General Library of Architecture and of Public Works, 1883), 7 2. Corroyer, Descriptive Guide of Mont Saint-Michel, 8

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[first ritual] anchoring (verb)

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2.

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to moor to the sea bottom with an anchor secure firmly in position provide with a firm basis or foundation

an anchorites... i. bay ii. island iii. ritual iv. garden

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*the anchorite a withdrawal from society in order to lead a life of seclusion as an act of fulfilling their devotion.

Historically, this meant removing oneself from society and dwelling in a small stone building with 3 windows: one through to view the alter; a second for anchorite’s servant; and third for passing on knowledge and wisdom to pilgrims.

In this project, the anchorite’s isolates themselves to fulfil a ritual of crafting a harvest.

He is the sole character of the garden and so the garden has been crafted in a way that is suited towards the use by one person and their own two hands. The harvest will provide seasonal offerings for the monk’s refractory.

As Richard Sennett writes in his book, The Craftsman, “The carpenter, lab technician, and conductor are all craftsmen because they are dedicated to good work for its own sake”. 3 The anchorite becomes the craftman of his garden, through his ritual...

3. Richard Sennett, The Craftsman, (London: Penguin Books, 2009), 20

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i. an anchorite’s bay An island in isolation, against the forces of the bay in which it lies.

It sits vulnerable and alone, having the necessary control and fortification provided to keep it from being overtaken by the wind, tides, sand and storms.

A series of elements allow for the anchorite to carry out his ritual in solitude. As follows are the three key features that provide solidarity in the anchorites work: 1. An Island Isolated 2. Forces of the Bay [Venice] Surveying a Lagoon

fig.01 Bay of Mont Saint-Michel, aerial image

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an island in isolation The island sits isolated, surrounded by the silt conditions of the bay surrounding. With one of the longest tides in the world, Mont Saint Michel throughout the year is often completely surrounded by the sea, ever so slightly cutting it off from the mainland.

This creates an image of self-sustaining within the island, as if all that is necessary for the survival of the islands inhabitants can be found within the island walls. If an storm were to occur that shut off the island from the rest of the world, it would be able to survive on its own. A Garden for an Anchorite continues to pursue this image of a self-sustaining nature, giving a cultivation of the bay towards harvesting the rich nature that is found there. fig.02 Mont Saint-Michel and Tombelaine in the bay, photograph

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1. anchoring

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i. an anchorite’s bay

forces of the bay The bay of Mont Saint-Michel is an uncertain landscape, full of secrets and mysteries. When discussing a lost map once said to have been contained within the Merveille, Edward Eigen writes “to trace the lines on this map, which limned the time worn contours of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, is to detect a particular form of errancy and the attempts to straighten it out.” 4 Eigen continues to describe the pilgrims crossing the bay with their staffs, unaware of the history of the bay in which they walk, including a long-lost ancient forest that once protected the island against the forces of the bay.

He continues, “Manet notes the “famous storm” of January 9, 1735, which, as if to reverse time, or rather to make its eddying regime visible, swept away the top layer of the bay’s bottom, revealing thick stands of fallen trees.” 5 Eigen quotes James Hairby by saying, the past and present nature of the bay is almost always disagreed upon by historians and geographers.6 Thus, through our own understanding of found geographical data documenting the bay, we were able to map out a field drawing that demonstrated the forces acting against the island of Mont Saint-Michel. These key forces are; the land and sea, geological surface, silt, tide and winds. From this study, relationships between elements were bought to light, including the relationship between certain granite outcrops, such as between Mont Saint-Michel and its sister island, Tombelaine, as well as between the Chaussey Islands and Ponterson.

It was key to ground the scale of Mont Saint-Michel against the ginormous scale of the bay is sits within to determine the architectural response that the island provides against its setting.

4. Edward Eigen, On accident: episodes in architecture and landscape. edited

by Chelsea Spencer (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2018), 155 5. Eigen, On accident: episodes in architecture and landscape, 161 6. Eigen, On accident: episodes in architecture and landscape, 155

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surveying a bay

[Venice] surveying a lagoon Surveying first took place through the examination of the Venice Lagoon. Here, the islands of the lagoon, tides and silt build ups were mapped onto historical maps of the area.

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[venice]

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surveying a bay

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[venice]

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surveying a bay

1-5 Insula of Venice scale 1:600,000 1. Murano – known for its glass making.

2. San Michelle – Venetian cemetery island.

3. Castello – Sestiere (district) of Venice within which the Querini Stampalia sits, and famous for its gardens and arsenal.

4. Pellestina Lido – narrow strip of naturally formed land which protects the lagoon, and Venice, for the Adriatic Sea. 5. Chiogga – small town, south of lagoon known for being first form of defence and first warning against attack.

Known for its unique regular planning. a. Lagoon depth up to 20m (lighter is shallower and darker is deeper) b. Morphological areas of Venice Lagoon - (dark grey) salt marshes - (grey) Sea water - (light grey) vegetation c. 1873 Map of Venice Lagoon d. Gridlines of 5km by 5km squares e. 1720 Map of Venice Lagoon. Dominii Veneti cum vicinis Parmae, Mutinae, Mantuae et Mirandolae Statibus Nova Descriptio.

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[venice]

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1. anchoring

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i. an anchorite’s bay

vi. Chaussey Islands

The largest of the granite outcrops on the island, this was where the stone for the construction of the Abbey was bought from. It provides a slight barrier against tidal forces coming from the harsh sea

iv. Tidal Direction

Spreading out as it enters the bay, surrounding the island from an omni-direction, the walls of the island get the full force of this tidal direction

v. Prevailing Winds

Coming from the North West, the winds are strongest, coming in from the sea, pushing the elements against the Island at the mouth of the bay

iii. Silt Heights

The built up of silt towards the coast, pushed by the tide and the wind, creating a natural slope out towards the sea to the North

ii. Geological Surface

Mapping of granite outcrops surrounding the bay and their relationship to each other across the sand

i. Land and Sea

The fields, the roads, the towns, the beaches, the coastline, the sand, the sea, shown through an aerial image to get a sense of the geography of the bay

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ii. an anchorite’s island Once within the island there is only one direction to look; and that is back out towards the bay. There is no escaping it, as it surrounds the commune walls. The island has a unique way of responding to the bay as it must not forget the harsh conditions that are constantly against it.

To understand the interaction with the bay from within the island, a mapping of the apertures that capture the horizon was documented as follows: a. From the Anchorite’s Window b. Sight Lines of Mont Saint-Michel

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1. anchoring

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ii. an anchorite’s island

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ii. an anchorite’s island

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1. anchoring

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1. anchoring

fig.03 View of Tombelaine from the island, photograph

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a. from the anchorites window A typical anchorite, contained in their cell that is attached to either a church or cathedral, only has visibility to the outside world via their anchorites window. This provides a narrowed and focus view from within their confinement. A likening to the anchorites window can be made with Mont Saint-Michel and its relationship with the bay. When moving through the island it is rare to get a full understanding of the entire bay that surrounds it.

We are often understanding the bay through slices of the landscape, seen through a variety of openings scattered across the layers of the island. As one moves through the islands streets and up towards the Abbey, they are provided with a unique glimpse of the landscape, each one different, providing the puzzle pieces of the bay as a whole.

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1. anchoring

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ii. an anchorite’s island

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1. anchoring

b. sight lines of Mont Saint-Michel From a gathering of photographs of the view of the horizon from the visit to Mont Saint-Michel, these were then mapped against the plan of the island.

The position from where each photograph was taken, pinpoints the moment the horizon is first seen through that particular aperture. A tracing of the thickness of the wall or opening was then made against each cone of vision.

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ii. an anchorite’s island

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iii. an anchorite’s ritual The anchorite must dedicate themselves to a life of prayer, becoming their indefinite ritual. To be an anchorite, you must dedicate all to this ritual. Here, our anchorite must dedicate themselves to the garden ritual. This stems from two ideals; to survey and to cultivate.

A series of elements allow for the anchorite to carry out his ritual in solitude. As follows are the four key features that provide solidarity in the anchorites work: a. Enstranged Seeds b. Surveying [register] surveying a storm c. Cultivating d. Seeds Repositioned

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1. anchoring

cultivating House for [re]stitching horizons

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iii. an anchorite’s ritual

surveying House for an Arpenteur

a. estranged seeds Two houses of estrangement, one for an arpenteur (surveyor) and one for anyone wishing to cultivate the bay, have been bought together on the Northern edge of the Merveille. Both houses of estrangement look out over a shared stretch of the bay and have been bought together to seed the ritual in which the anchorite operates his garden.

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1. anchoring

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iii. an anchorite’s ritual

b. surveying Surveying has been used here as a way of examining and recording the area and features of Mont SaintMichel and its bay. The house for an arpenteur (surveyor) enables the arpenteur to observe, record and document the daily events of the bay. This includes the weather, tides, the activity of the people of the bay and all unique occurances of the landscape.

fig.04 Surveyors using a Plane Table, photograph

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1. anchoring

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iii. an anchorite’s ritual

arpenteur’s table The arpenteur’s table is a device which allows them to record the various happenings of the bay. The table itself is a reflection of the the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel. The arpenteur then documents these recordings from their drawing table.

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1. anchoring

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surveying a storm

“Supported by shore and port, now we had neither.

There was only here. The ship was here in the fog. The ship roared and the fog blotted us into itself and whirled into its rifts, and the sealess skyless fear—and there was fear— had nothing to do with sinking—at least, not into water.”

Josephine Jacobson, ‘Sea Fog’

[register] surveying a storm The exploration into haar as a storm has come from years of living along the east coast of Scotland. Memories of waking up and looking out the window to see haar veiling the surrounding area.

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surveying a storm

HAAR [har] (noun)

1. a thick, cold, wet sea fog along the East seacoast of Scotland and North England.

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[register]

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surveying a storm

registering the haar

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[register]

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surveying a storm

CAIGO (noun)

1. Venetian term for sea fog which often occurs during the winter months

(Left) drawing the haar

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[register]

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1. anchoring

c. cultivating The word cultivate has been used here in a sense of refining through study and care.

The house for [re]stitching horizons takes the apertures of the island that capture the horizon and refines them into a shared zinc mask that faces the same direction out to the bay to the north. This repositioning of the horizon is imprinted to the north and in hand provides a basis for a new understanding of the flatlands of the bay.

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iii. an anchorite’s ritual

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1. anchoring

stitching the pieces The idea of collecting information to cultivate its experiential value its key within the anchorites garden. Surveying and cultivating must come hand in hand to the means that the anchorites cultivation comes from his survey of the bay. The garden becomes a cultivation of the pieces of the landscape he has bought together, much like the apertures of the house for [re]stitching the horizon.

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iii. an anchorite’s ritual

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iii. an anchorite’s ritual

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1. anchoring

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iii. an anchorite’s ritual

d. seeds [re]positioned Once serving a purpose in their own right of cultivating and surveying, the two seeds of estrangement are now tethered by the anchorite in his garden. Their new positioning continues the story they once told upon the Merveille, setting them within the use of a garden landscape.

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iv. an anchorite’s garden Allowing for a devotion to his ritual, the anchorites garden sets in motion both surveying and cultivation. It becomes a manifestation of the solidarity of Mont Saint-Michel in its bay and focuses on a dedication to craft and an outward response to its landscape.

A series of elements allow for the anchorite to carry out his ritual in solitude. As follows are the three key features that provide solidarity in the anchorites work: a. the walled garden b. the anchorite’s window c. the copper field

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1. anchoring

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iv. an anchorite’s garden

a. the walled garden A garden for an anchorite has been arranged as a series of walled gardens that interlink with each other through a specific route that is accessible only by the anchorite. This is created through a series of granite walls that separate operations, such as orchards, fields and marshes and interlinking bridges and staircases. The heavy granite walls ensure that there is no entrance from the outside of the garden.

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1. anchoring

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iv. an anchorite’s garden

b. the anchorite’s window A place for offering produce that creates a boundary from the outside world, the anchorites window becomes the crossing point between the garden and the island.

A single bridge connects the garden to the anchorites window and to the walkway behind. This walkway then connects to a series of collection boxes, to which at a certain time are collected via a staircase leading up to the island.

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1. anchoring

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iv. an anchorite’s garden

c. the derelict field Not a physical boundary but a visual one. A strict rhythm of copper posts surrounds the garden, creating a hard edge on the silt bed. Nestled within the field of copper posts are scattered copper pieces, cast between rocks and silt, both vertically and horizontally, suggesting broken paths and walls.

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1. anchoring

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iv. an anchorite’s garden

case study #01 monastery, neil denari Robert McCarter when describing Neil Denari’s Monastery writes, “The monastery, as a valuable contemporary program, is a refuge from the progressive exhaustion of the metropolis, a place where spirit and thinking are separated from but reflective of the city itself.” 7 The monastery uses a row of 60 feet concrete walls, sitting parallel to each other, up against the surrounding streets. These walls become the transitional space into to the monastery, separating the city with this space of refuge. McCarter continues by suggesting that, “from the infinite, cartesian world of the city to the smallest cell - the intention is to relinquish our usual mental habitat, to suspend for any length of time the normal processes in favour of a more contemplative one.” 8 The boundary is made clear through the architecture, making clear to the mind of a transitional moment.

This field of copper posts surrounding the anchorites garden, has the intention of a similar effect.

7. Robert McCarter, Building Machines, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1987), 16 8. McCarter, Building Machines, 16

fig.05 (Left) Neil Denari, Plan & Section of the Monastery, drawing, 1983 fig.06 (Top) Neil Denari, Model view of the Monastery, drawing, 1983

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[second ritual] seeding (verb)

1.

2.

3.

to sow cause something to begin to develop or grow produce and reproduce itself by means of its own seed

seeding...

i. a landscape ii. footings... seeded iii. field... iv. gates... v. beddings...

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i. seeding a landscape To create a garden in a bed of flat silt, an understanding of the nature of the surrounding bay is key to determining the best response against the forces of the bay. A series of choreographed moves allowed the architecture to be seeded from the landscape that surrounds it.

A collection of landscape tectonics have been bought forward into the garden and have been laid out in the following chapters as follows: a. pilgrimage route from Genest b. crafting the sight lines c. cones; mapped d. calibrating a landscape [Venice] choreographing a landscape e. a choreographed landscape

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Mont Saint Michel / Sight Lines

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2. seeding

New Horizon

Ginest

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i. a landscape

a. pilgrimage route from Ginest The pilgrimage route to Mont Saint-Michel has from the 9th century been one of the most popular pilgrimage routes in Europe. Today, pilgrims can use the newly constructed bridge from the south to access the island, however 1000 years ago the coastline on the south was much further inland, due to the non-existence of the polders. Pilgrims would wait until the tide was at its lowest and make the trek across the silt flats from various points from the northwest, including the town of Ginest.

When defining the boundary for the observable bay that would be folded and condensed to create the garden, the crossing point of Ginest was used as the limit. This symbolises the experiential beginning of the bay as a pilgrim, and so it was thought appropriate to set the limit at this point.

fig.07 (Above) Pilgrimage crossing at Ginest, photograph, 1961

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2. seeding

fig.08 Pilgrims against the edge of the silt flats by Ginest, photograph

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i. a landscape

b. crafting the sight lines A restitching of the landscape; focusing on the segment of the silt flats that the seeds of estrangement look out onto, directly to the north of the island.

Mapping the sight lines against the new horizon, set to the ancient crossing point of Genest, the landscape has been broken into segments, and repositioned within the focused area to the north. With this, the language of the landscape is condensed and rethought within a new terrain, producing a collection of situations against each other.

Breaking into three distinct collection of sight lines, one to the east, one to the south and one to the west, each brings a uniquely different set of conditions to the new field to the north. To the east, we see the effects of rivers breaking into the marshland below, creating strong breaks in the terrain. To the south, a condensed and rich arrangement of polders, roads, farms and infrastructure, with the dam water channel cutting through this condensed landscape. Finally, to the west, a similar marshland than to the west, however with much less intrusive rivers, creating a flatter, seemingly more open terrain.

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2. seeding

folding the landscape Once in their new position, an identification of the moments of tension within the existing landscape found in each cut, was analysed and taken as a crease or a new cut in the landscape. A series of folds was then created, highlighting the moments with extreme tension and moments of calm, into an even greater condensed field.

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i. a landscape

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2. seeding

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i. a landscape

case study #02 pelagos, barbara hepworth Barbara Hepworth often takes moments of the landscape she finds herself in, into her sculptures. Growing up in London she felt that one could not relate themselves to the landscape. She was able to move down to St. Ives, Cornwall and began sculpting her surroundings and the people within them.9 Her work, Pelagos, is drawn from a particular view of the bay, where the sea is surrounded by two stretches of land either side. The spiral shape is representative of the wave or roll of a hill, and the strings the tension she felt between herself and the sea. 10 9. London Magazine, “I the sculptor am the landscape – Barbara Hepworth’s Roots of Stone” London Magazine, 3 August , 2015, accessed 10 May, 2022, https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/ithe-sculptor-am-the-landscape-barbara-hepworths-roots-of-stone/ 10. Tate, “Dame Barbara Hepworth, Pelagos”, Tate, accessed 10 May, 2022. https://www.tate.org. uk/art/artworks/hepworth-pelagos-t00699

fig.09 (Left) Barbara Hepworth, Pelagos, Elm wood with colour and strings fig.10 (Top) Barbara Hepworth, Figures in Landscape, 1953, video screen capture

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02

sight lines to the East

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sight lines to the West

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sight lines to the South

d. cones; mapped Seen again here, the sight lines from Mont SaintMichel have been identified into three main cones of vision: east, south and west. In a series of drawings, the movements of the folds, cuts and repositioning, has been mapped onto each cone, showing what has been moved and what has been left behind.

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i. a landscape

01

sight lines to the West

02

sight lines to the East

calibrated and folded

calibrated and folded

03 sight lines to calibrated and folded the South

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2. seeding

fields + crops

textures; mapped Essential for creating a new landscape is to understand the textures of the surrounding bay and the relationship towards each other. Each cone helps to gather the textures of the bay and set them out in their new positioning. From this an understanding of the movement of the forces of the bay such as the tide and wind has had an effect on the landscape as it pushed further inland and away from the shore.

This understanding became the basis for setting out the new polders, fields and rafts in the Garden for an Anchorite and allows for a basis of relationships to be set out. Where rocks sit between silt and marsh sits between sand, can be set out from the mapping of each cone of vision.

wetland

sand + marsh

silt + rocks

sand + grass

silt + sea

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situating

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upscaling

calibrating

i. a landscape

cutting

new landscape

downscaling

d. calibrating a landscape A process of calibrating occurred with the landscape once positioned back into the bay.

Situating, upscaling, calibrating, cutting, new landscape and then downscaling became the six moves which bedded the garden landscape in its position.

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choreographing a landscape

The average rise and fall of the tide is about three feet (varying considerably with the seasons); but this fall, on so flat a shore, is enough to cause continual movement in the waters, and in the main canals to produce a reflux which frequently runs like a mill stream. At high water no land is visible for many miles to the north or south of Venice, except in the form of small islands crowned with towers or gleaming with villages.

John Ruskin, “Stones of Venice”, Vol X

[Venice] choreographing a landscape Choreographing a Venetian landscape is told through a storm of artifacts.

These artifacts have been taken from the various scales of Venice: Lagoon, Insula, Piazza and Campo. The Querini Stampali, a mirror of Venice itself, holds these scales within it which have been scaled and calibrated to suit its architecture. Shadows of the artifacts caught in the storm were then explored as ways of dredging, manipulating, the parterre of the Querini Stampalia. The Querini Stampalia’s parterre, artifacts, the storm, and shadows now becomes the plane table to nagivate and draw from.

In the second semester this rich territory was used to calibrate and activate the Venice Arsenale and Rio dell’Arsenale to form a new landscape.

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Querini Stampalia 1.

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entrance bridge foyer watergate grilled gate porch northeast room radiator column main exhibition room staircase to library travertine door southwest room garden terrace lawn water source water tray dry well potting yard garden door former entrance

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Had the tide been only a foot or eighteen inches higher in its rise, the water-access to the doors of the palaces would have been impossible: even as it is, there is sometimes a little difficulty, at the ebb, in landing without setting foot upon the lower and slippery steps: and the highest tides sometimes enter the courtyards, and overflow the entrance halls.

John Ruskin, “Stones of Venice”, Vol X

Querini Stampalia Section 1:150 Horizontal Datum Lines: 1. Canal Water 2. Gallery Floor 3. Concrete Revetment 4. Picture Rail and Bridge Crest 5. Gallery Ceiling and Bridge Rail

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fig.11 (Top Left) Querini Stampalia Travertine Wall, photograph, 1993 fig.12 (Top Right) Querini Stampalia Water Gate and Steps, photograph, 1993

5

4

3 2 1

‘Swimming in the Querini Stampalia’ Mike Cadwell, Strange Details

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[Venice]

Lagoon

Insula

Piazza

Campo

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choreographing a landscape

Scales of Venice calibrated to the Querini Stampalia

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[Venice]

Querini Stampalia parterre plans of artefacts caught in the storm

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choreographing a landscape

Querini Stampalia parterre plans of shadows casted by artefacts caught in the storm

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choreographing a landscape

Plane Table map bringing together the map calibrations and the chimera storm

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choreographing a landscape

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e. a choreographed landscape With a merging of data found from the process of sewing and gathering, a new choreographed landscape has been allowed to form. In turn A Garden for an Anchorite, is a collection of found landscape conditions that have been sewn and seeded into a garden that represents the bay at a new scale, in order to prepare a harvest for the Abbey.

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i. a landscape

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ii. footings; seeded The footings become the foundation for the garden, the layout for the fields and the walkways that lie in-between. Once these have been set out, what comes next can be determined.

The footings of the garden have been followed by the tectonics of two main elements: a. dikes b. stilts [Venice] stilts

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a. dike walls Dike walls surround the polders to the south of the island and provide key protection against the tide, especially at extreme high tides that occur in August and September. Granite walls act as dikes within the garden, protecting areas that need to stay safe from the tide the whole year round.

These walls allow the tide to rise higher than the garden that they surround, meaning the tide will never spill out into the protected land. The heights of the walls have been set against the most extreme tide heights that rise against the walls of Mont Saint-Michel.

Seasonal High Tide Daily High Tide Daily Low Tide

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Granite Dike Wall

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b. stilts Certain areas of the garden do not need protection from the sea and even encourage the flow of the tide to serve farming purposes. The oyster farm is set on stilts inspired by the mussel and oyster farming that pre-exists in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel and beyond. These mussel farms are set on large rows of stilts that keep the shellfish suspended in the water, with a constant flow of water running past them to encourage development.

The stilt structures that exist in the garden also allow for water to flow in-between the structure and help with the growing of these sea animals to develop into the appropriate sizes. Safer elements of the farming process are then positioned higher out of the way of the tides, such as the spawning tanks and washing equipment.

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aerial of mussel rope farm in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel

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stilts

In Venice, buildings do not spring from the earth - they tether themselves to the mud below, or they hover above it.

Michael Cadwell, “Strange Details”

[Venice] stilts Venice, just like the oyster farm in the Anchorite’s garden, uses stilts to prop itself up in order to avoid the rising tide. Venice is a city built on stilts which provide a footing for it to build upon, whilst at times, allowing the tide to pass through and under it.

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stilts

Section through a New Guild for the Aresnale Nouvo 1. aula 2. copper folded landscape 3. workshop double door with folding out work bench 4. timber husk: Workshop two 5. tools 6. copper rooflight 7. steel ribs 8. copper folded outer skin 9. timber raft floor & steel basket secondary structure 10. timber pile foundation (stilts) 11. work yard 12. chamber lock: entrance 13. workshop and yard one

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iii. fields; seeded The fields become the space between and around the footings, the space that becomes the surface for seeding, planting, crafting, yielding, and harvesting. From here, the unique nature of each field allows for the development of a different produce for the meals within the Abbey, The three elements of the landscape that have been collected and resituated within the garden are: a. polders b. farmhouse c. marsh

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Cone 03 - choreographing the landscape; folded and mapped landscape

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ii. fields

a. polders Protected by the high granite and copper walls that surround the fields within the garden, this agricultural land can be set at a lower height as to allow for fresh water run off through the different fields and garden spaces.

Sea water is allowed in around the garden polders as they are protected by their respective high walls, as seen in the existing landscape with the protection of the dike walls.

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2. seeding

b. farmhouse Seen in the southern polders, multiple farmhouses and barns are nestled within their farmland, protected by the dike walls that surround their land. In the garden, each field has its own respective ‘farmhouse’ which sits within the garden walls and overlooks the protection of its product. For example, the cider press sits nestled between the dike walls of the orchard, staying close to its own process. As drawn out below, the bread mill also sits within its landscape, onlooking of its fields. These farmhouses can be described as anchored pieces of architecture sat within their fields.

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ii. fields

c. marsh A generally interrupted piece of landscape that is found to the north of the dike walls that protect the polders to the south, the marshes have a clear effect from the daily tides of the bay. Broken up by rivers and streams, the grass is thick and moist, with weeds tangled between rocks and rough terrain.

However, a rich mixture of sea plants live here, due to the daily top up of sea water, suggesting a series of sea botanics. Within the botanical gardens, a water channel runs through the centre, with the northern walls lower to one side, allowing the sea water to flood the garden, encouraging the growth of sea botanics.

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iv. gates; seeded Movement between fields is crucial to allow the anchorite to tend to his harvest in the best practice against the forces of the bay.

Walkways and bridges become the key crossing points between fields, allowing for tight and direct movement by use of a solo practitioner. The act as the gateways between the islands that make up the garden.

The three key gates between garden are described in detail as follows: a. walkway b. bridges c. channels

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a. walkway Providing key access to the island, a new walkway was finished in 2014, removing the 135-year-old causeway that stopped water from freely flowing around Mont Saint-Michel. The bridge is now the only safe way to access the island the entire year around, unless one was to treck through the mudflats to the south or the longer route from the northwest.

Access to the garden has been arranged in a similar way, with each field of the garden leading from a central spine access walkway that connects to a bridge leading up the northern slope of the island to the base of the Abbey. At the point where the bridge connects to the island, sits the anchorites window, where the harvest from the garden is collected.

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b. bridges Being a garden for use by one person alone, a need for wide circulation space is not necessary. Connection between garden spaces is provided by 600mm wide bridges that connect polder to polder, field to field.

They also connect to mesh walkways that often sink below high tide level and therefore allow for water to flow over the lower steps.

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iii. gates

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c. channels Cutting neatly through the landscape, the water channel that passes through the polders to the dam at the Couesnon estuary. This water channel allows for control of water flow around the island to carefully stop the island from flooding whilst regulating water flow to support wildlife in the area.

At a more basic scale but with the same idea in place, several cuts are made in the sloped edge of the mussel farm that sits on the western edge of the garden, regulating water flow in and out of the mussel farm.

Mussel ropes are hung horizontally, and the several channels allow for gentle flow of sea water over the mussels to encourage mussel growth.

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iii. gates

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v. bedding; seeded Sitting on a soft and everchanging surface of silt, the garden must bed itself as to not fight the nature of the surface it sits within and accept the gentle takeover of the bay. The whole garden is fitted together in a way that allows for the two key elements of sea and sand to pass through naturally and not try to stop them in their way.

The three landscape characteristics that best describe this process of bedding are set out as follows: a. into the silt [Venice] bedding into the silt b. rivers c. rocks

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a. into the silt The Garden for an Anchorite exists within an everchanging force of the tide and the silt, pushing up to shore. The architecture tries not to resist too hard against the flow of the silt, whilst gently managing it with various architectural fragments within the silt

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i. sand

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ii. low tide

iv. bedding

iii. daily high tide

iv. seasonal high tide

responding to the tide The above series demonstrates the changing nature of the garden as the tide rises and falls both throughout the day and throughout the year. The architecture can be separated into anchored and tethered pieces. The granite and copper dike walls protect most of the garden, however, certain elements that can be described as tethered, are left vulnerable to the tidal rise.

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2. seeding

Long section through the island, looking towards the west

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iv. bedding

1. Anchorite’s Window 2. Anchorite’s House 3. Bread Mill 4. Walkway to Merveille 5. Copper and Chestnut Storage Husks 6. Copper Trees 7. Walkway to Anchorite’s Window 8. Timber Walkway 9. Anchorite’s Harvest Offering Husks 9. Refectory 10. Copper Walled Crop Fields

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Short section through the island, looking north towards Tombelaine

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1. Mussel Farm 2. Anchorite’s House 3. Bread Mill 4. Arpenteur’s Mask 5. Cider Press 6. Oyster Farm

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bedding into the silt

Had there been no tide, as in other parts of the Mediterranean, the narrow canals of the city would have become noisome, and the marsh in which it was built pestiferous.

John Ruskin, “Stones of Venice”, Vol X

[Venice] bedding into the silt Just like the Anchorite’s garden that beds itself into the silt landscape of the Mont Saint-Michel bay, Venice beds itself into the marsh that surrounds it. This allows a firm grounding for the architecture whilst enabling the natural forces of the lagoon to pass around it.

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[Venice]

fig.13 Venice building blocks: timber stilts bedded into silt, photograph

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bedding into the silt

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b. rivers As described in the areas of marshland, rivers cut through the landscape that isn’t protected by polders and make their way to new stretches of the landscape.

These rivers naturally regulate water flow through the landscape and keep the ground surfaces flowing. Polders and fields within the garden create space between each other, creating new ‘rivers’ to allow for natural flow between the garden, as to not stop it in its tracks when the tide rises in and out throughout the day.

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c. rocks The setting of objects within the landscape act as breaks, slowing and changing direction of the silt that moves towards the island. Rocks, disjoint walls, copper plates and copper stilts act as a field of derelict, untethered objects that break up the movement of the silt and stop it from building up against the garden walls.

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case study #03 Tudela-Culip Restoration Project, EMF + Ardevol In 1960, on the eastern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, The Tudela-Culip (Club Med) was constructed as a 400-building holiday destination. However, in 1998, the windy coastal site was given protected status and meant the buildings had to be torn down. 11 Landscape architects EMF and architects Ardevol reimagined the landscape as a series of coastal walks, using concrete and Corten steel to navigate the area. The objects subtly inhabit the landscape, with concrete cast around rocks and Corten steel sitting just proud of the uneven terrain.

11. Amy Frearson, “Tudela-Culip Restoration Project in Cap de Creus by EMF and Ardèvol” Dezeen, 21 May, 2013, accessed 10 May, 2022, https://www.dezeen.com/2013/05/21/tudela-culiprestoration-project-in-cap-de-creus-cape-by-emf-and-ardevol/

fig.14 (Right) Pathway at Tudela-Culip, photograph fig.15 (Top) Copper posts at Tudela-Culip, photograph

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[third ritual] masking (verb)

1.

2.

3.

to cover with a mask to conceal (something) from view. to prevent the perception of (another sensation).

mask... i. to survey ii. as aperture iii. as shelter iv. to conceal

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3. masking

photograph of Landscape for an Anchorite model from side view

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Mont Saint-Michel as mask Mont Saint-Michel can be read as a mask like the copper facades in the architecture of the Anchorite’s Garden pieces.

As the pilgrims arrive from across the bay they are met by the north facade of the island. The Merveille, the trees and ramparts conceal the town to the south from the pilgrims’ view.

Upon situating oneself in the Merveille and ramparts of the north facade, one can start to observe, record and look out across the bay through various apertures and platforms.

The Merveille and ramparts help to shelter the island village from the strong north-easterly wind of the bay.

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i. to survey

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i mask to survey Using the mask as a device to survey beyond the Merveille and the Anchorite’s garden creates a connection to the wider bay. This is essential when the bay has such an impact on the figures within it.

The tectonics of surveying mask enable this connection.

The two conditions the mask surveys are: a. the bay b. the weather

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1. 20mm chestnut cladding board 2. 38x25 timber batten 3. 100x100mm steel I-beam 4. 25x25mm timber batten 5. steel structural rib 6. 20mm steel tension cable 7. 20mm chestnut cladding board 8. 3mm corten steel sheet 9. primary steel I-Beam 250x125 10. 2omm chestnut decking 11. timber joists 150x75mm

a. the bay The structural tectonics of the walkways and the heavy arpenteur’s table allow a long cantilever far beyond the facade of the Merveille and above the path below.

The walkways, anchored in the centre of the Merveille, are a singular structural beam which enables the long cantilever out beyond the wall. The weight of the arpenteur’s table also helps to anchor the walkways to the Merveille and support the cantilever.

Two openings in the mask, that align with the windows of the Merveille behind, allow the arpenteur to move free through from the Merveille and out to their observation point. These tectonics allow the arpenteur to effectively observe and survey the surrounding bay.

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i. to survey

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b. the weather Carried with the mask, through its repositioning, are the granite windows of the Merveille. This enables the tectonics of the arpenteur’s mask to be re-introduced into the Anchorite’s garden. Here, instead of mapping all the events in the bay, the sole occupation of the mask lies in surveying the weather. This recording and documenting of the weather aids in production of the yeild.

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ii. mask as aperture Mask as an aperture allows for a focused attention, an attention drawn to a certain device or ideal. A focus is key in the process of crafting within a garden and so the tectonics of a masked aperture is necessary in various places within the garden.

The four ways in which mask acts as an aperture are as follows: a. [re]stitching horizons b. anchorite’s window c. overseeing d. observing

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a. [re]stitching horizons A masking of the whole, allows for a focus on precise moments. The mask for [re]stitching horizons acts as a focal device for fine tuning the bay to the north of the island to represent the apertures on the rest of the island.

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ii. as aperture

b. anchorites window The anchorites window becomes the house for [re]stitching horizons in its new position and makes use of the existing apertures to keep a watch on the garden. The anchorite uses the window as a place of offering his harvest, to be collected at the end of the day from those on the island. Once behind the mask, he is able to look through the apertures to gaze upon his fields and analyse the condition of each one.

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ii. as aperture

c. overseeing “The workshop is the craftsman’s home.

Traditionally this was literally so. In the Middle Ages craftsmen slept, ate, and raised their children in the places where the worked” 12 writes Richard Sennett.

The workshop Sennett speaks of is the anchorites garden. The Anchorites house is wrapped by a façade which allows for an overseeing of the garden in which he works. Various breaks in the façade allow him to focus on specific moments within the landscape as he moves about his house, ensuring that the garden is in order at the beginning and end of every day, opening and closing his daily ritual.

12. Sennett, The Craftsman, 53

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d. observing Smal openings throughout the Garden for an Anchorite offer small observation points to witness and observe the bay from unique persepectives. For example, a small window close to the mussel farm, allows for a close observation of the tide at the level of the silt, helping with the process of work.

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ii. as aperture

from the cider press house with direct view back to the Merveille

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iii. mask as shelter Throughout the Garden for an Anchorite masks are used to shelter against the harsh weather conditions of the bay. Most often this is in response to the prevailing winds coming in from the northwest, therefore masks are often oriented towards this direction.

The two ways in which mask acts as a shelter are as follows: a. from the weather b. for comfort

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a. from the weather The arpenteur’s mask also had to protect the arpenteur from the wind and rain when moving up and into the Merveille. Here, the mask’s space frame helps to support the mask against wind loads with trusses helping to make the mask more rigid.

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iii. as shelter

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3. masking

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iii. as shelter

b. for comfort The Merveille was opened up to elements due to the removal of the windows. It was therefore important to create an environmentally sealed and comfortable area where the arpenteur could document the events of the day and rest.

The timber husk within the mesh frame enables this.

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iii. as shelter

Section through House for an Arpenteur 1. granite water channels and drain 2. stick stand 3. corten steel and chestnut walkway (see detail 4) 4. Mont Saint Michel sand table 5. mesh volume with husk inside 6. corten sheet environmental seal 7. fold out seat and drawing board for arpenteur 8. public area

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iii. as shelter

Arpenteur’s Timber Husk Detail 1. 125x125 black steel u-beam 2. 3mm black steel sheet 3. M12 bolt 4. 2omm chestnut cladding 5. 38mm timber batten 6. breather membrane 7. 18mm OSB 8. 200mm natural insulation with 200x100mm timber rafters at 400mm centres 9. 12mm plasterboard 10. vapour control layer 11. 25x25mm timber batten 12. 20mm internal oak cladding 13. 200x100mm timber beam 14. double glazed brushed aluminium window 15. chestnut window sill 16. 100x50mm chestnut fins 17. 20mm chestnut cladding 18. 38x38mm timber batten 19. breather membrane 20. 18mm OSB 21. 100mm natural insulation with 200x100mm timber posts 2. vapour control layer

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iv. mask to conceal Most famously the use of a mask is to hide or conceal something.

In the case of the anchorites garden, the field of copper posts have been used to conceal the garden from the rest of the bay when within it.

a. field of copper [Venice] to conceal

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a. field of copper When wondering through the silt flats, the copper posts will shield the lower parts of the garden from anyone walking past, blurring the boundary, and making it harder to see how the garden is accessed or navigated. The garden will at some points appear floating above a wall of copper stilts, appearing completely separate from the landscape below.

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to conceal

“The submissive openness of Venice to impositions of fiction orginates in the self-fictionalization embodied in its very stones. Since the Renaissance epoch, the city have city has viewed and justified itself as a showplace in the demonstrative architectural gestures of its power elites. In this context, a buildings outer shell was was regarded solely as a function of a system of societal presentation and prestige. The compulsion toward displays of spendour bound up in the valorization processess of its economy led to an architectural style of medially conceived facades. Thin superimposed marble facings are devoted to suggestion and recall the stage effects of illusory perspective scenery.”

- False Front City

[Venice] to conceal As quoted above, Venice is a very theatrical place resulting in false facades which conceal there true construction. Concealing through masking can also be seen in the social event of Bauta: Venetian Masquerade Carnival participants wear masks to hide their identities.

Masking to conceal was originally explored in the Querini Stampalia following the explorating of shadows and their effect on the garden wall of the chimera. Here, shadows masked and concealed the garden wall resulting in the chamber lock architecture.

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to conceal

fig.16 (Left) Pietro Longhi, The Perfume Vendor, 1756, oil on canvas fig.17 (Top) Photographs of Venetian Façades, False Front City: Facade Venice

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[fourth ritual] crafting (verb)

1.

2.

to make or manufacture (an object) with skill and careful attention to detail to exercise skill in making (an object), typically by hand.

crafting... i. the bay ii. the fields iii. tools iv. the meal

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i. the bay Beginning the process of crafting A Garden for an Anchorite was the act of re-crafting the existing bay into a condensed and focused landscape. A printed aerial image at the scale of 1:5000 was the canvas in which the new landscape was crafted, observing from above a to allow for an understanding of how the landscape was beginning to shift.

[Venice] living under folds a. cutting from the wider bay

03 02 01

04 05 06 07

08

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“Development of an in something like a linear

be sensitized at the fing

about touch. Once thi

coordination can be add

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ntelligent hand does show process. The hand needs to

gertip, enabling it to reason

is is achieved, problems of

dressed.”

The Craftsman Richard Sennett

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i. the bay

...In that Empire, the Art of Cartography attained such Perfection that the map of a single Province occupied the entirety of a City, and the map of the Empire, the entirety of a Province. In time, those Unconscionable Maps no longer satisfied, and the Cartographers Guilds struck a Map of the Empire whose size was that of the Empire, and which coincided point for point with it. The following Generations, who were not so fond of the Study of Cartography as their Forebears had been, saw that that vast Map was Useless, and not without some Pitilessness was it, that they delivered it up to the Inclemencies of Sun and Winters. In the Deserts of the West, still today, there are Tattered Ruins of that Map, inhabited

by Animals and Beggars; in all the Land there is no other Relic of the Disciplines of Geography.

On Exactitude in Science Jorge Luis Borges, Collected Fictions

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living under folds

[Venice] living under folds Just like the animals and beggars living under the folds of the map, the husks of the workshops lived under the folds of the Rio dell’Arsenale folded copper landscape.

The forms were derived from the folding of the parterre shadow drawing and brought together to create the folded landscape in the Venice Arsenale.

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living under folds

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Exploded Axonometric of Folded Landscape in Venice Arsenale 1.

2.

3.

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5.

6.

7.

8.

glass copper folded landscape secondary structure: steel purlins & wire cables primary structure: steel ribs timber husks steel grating flooring & steel scalo ground secondary structure: steel purlins ground primary structure: steel ribs

9.

Venetian timber pile foundations

living under folds

1

2 MASK

3

4

HUSK + RAFT

5

6

BASKET

7

8 BRIDGE

9

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living under folds

Planometric of Aula under copper fold 1.

mask a. copper skin b. secondary structure: steel purlins & wire cables c. primary structure: steel ribs

2.

husk & raft d. primary structure: steel ribs e. husk timber structure f. light internal cladding g. cabinet h. sliding glazed door i. black steel banister j. bespoke table and chairs k. timber raft: timber flooring and structure

3.

bridge l. steel grating flooring m. steel basket: floor secondary structure n. steel ribs: floor primary structure other

o. steel steps up to aula meeting room p. rooflight above

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cutting from the wider bay As a part of the process of crafting the bay, a process of upscaling and downscaling occurred, cutting and gathering pieces of the wider bay that exists up to the Chaussey Islands. This was to grasp a greater understanding of the geology of the bay beyond Mont Saint-Michel. Certain pieces of the bay were cut away from their original position and then bought back down with the landscape when downscaled back to the island.

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i. the bay

cutting from the wider bay The materials used in A Garden for an Anchorite have also been cut from the local stretches of the coastland and bay. Three key materials are used within the garden: granite, copper and chestnut.

The granite outcrop of the Chaussey islands, 30km north of Mont Saint-Michel is able to provide the granite for the garden, carrying the stone back via boat, as would have occured in the 13th century.

The copper is able to be mined at a local town 40km northeast of Mont Saint-Michel, Villedieu-les-Poêles-Rouffigny, which is famous for its bell production.

fig.18 (Right) Map of the Chaussey Islands, 1839 fig.19 (Top) Photograph of granite mine, 1989, photograph

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ii. the fields The crafting of each field in the garden required a tectonic understanding in order to respond and inhabit the new landscape in which it sits. Gathering information from the wider landscape, the same tectonic responses could be used when crafting each footing, field and gate. A series of card model responses allowed the beginning of a response to the new landscape conditions.

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iii. tools In his garden, architecture becomes tools for production. The walls, roofs, walkways, stairs, slopes and openings become the means for a harvest. Each item of food has a dedicated architectural tool in to allow the anchorite to carry out his craft by hand.

The four architectural tools that are used in order to produce the harvest: a. bread mill b. mussel farm c. cider press d. oyster farm [Venice] crafting tools

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mussels

Mussels have been farmed in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel since the 13th century, due to the perfect conditions of the bay for growing.

bread

A key part of the diet of a monk when living on the island. Cheap to grown, wheat is able to be grown away from the tides, in the safe field of the polder above.

salt

With the sea so close to the island, it becomes a natural source for sea salt farming. Lying close to the sea level as to allow for the salt to run into the salt pans, salt is farmed as part of the garden.

oysters

Another seafood regularly harvested in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, oysters are a stable of dining around the bay and in the local towns

cider

Monks in the Abbey would often drink wine or cider with their evening meal. Apple trees will easily grow in the raised polders of the garden, allowing for an orchard in the bay.

iii. tools

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a. bread mill The production of bread is an ancient method that has been the main sauce of food from the earliest days of farming. Sat directly above the wheat fields, the bread mill has everything need for the preparation, growing, milling, baking and storing of bread. From within the bread mill, the anchorite can prepare fresh loafs in the granite chimney and then store them for later consumption.

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b. mussel farm Mussels need a constant supply of sea water to keep them alive. Therefore, the mussel farm is located close to the sea level but has areas of the farm that are raised in safety from the tide.

These safe areas include the mussel cleaning and sorting areas that require dry working environments. The roping station is fitted below at sand level, so they can quickly be hung when the tide is out. This process is year-round and does not require a specific time of the year to start the process.

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c. cider press Cider is best harvested in the autumn from midSeptember to December and so the orchard must have fully grown apples for then. The cider process involves washing, griding, pressing, fermentation, filling and bottling, all which can be done within the cider press and house that sits within the orchard. The cider house also contains a bottling wall which is able to store the bottles which can be placed in the harvest boxes for the correct meal pairing within the Abbey refectory.

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d. oyster farm Oysters take a long time to grow and require various stages before they reach full adulthood.

The oysters must grow in a controlled environment before they can be set out into the sea in cages to the north of the oyster farm and so the farming elementsnd so the farming elements of the process are kept close to the ground. As the tides are low around the garden, the oysters are kept in shallow bags or tray cages, so that the sea water can flow over them for as much time as possible at early stages of growth. The growing process takes between one and a half years to three years.

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crafting tools

[Venice] crafting tools Venice has a rich tradition of crafting and working outside: the Venice Arsenale; squero (gondola workshop); the stone mason working in the campo; and the glass work of Murano.

Each piece of architecture down the Rio dell’ Arsenale in Venice hosted a workshop and yard as a means of fabrication. This workshop and yard relationship can be seen in the tools of the Anchorite’s Garden.

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fig.20 (Top) Canaletto, The Stone Mason’s Yard, 1726-30, oil on canvas, 123.8 x 162.9cm fig.21 (Right) Gondola Craftsman, Venice

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[Venice]

Rio dell’ Arsenale Workshop and Yard 1. copper ground plate 2. timber work yard 3. workshop door with folding out work bench 4. timber husk: workshop equipment 5. steel steps to changing room 6. outer skin, copper mask 7. steel ribs: primary structure 8. steel structure & footing for changing room timber husk above 9. folded copper dock 10. various flotsam, jetsam etc materials moving to gate

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iv. the meal A Garden for An Anchorite serves its purpose as a kitchen garden for the Abbey refectory. Therefore, the harvest it produces goes towards weekly meals and occasional feasts within the Merveille.

As well as its key productions: oysters, mussels, bread, cider and salt, the garden has space to harvest a variety of other vegetables.

These can be chosen by the anchorite and what he produces is left in the harvest boxes within the anchorites window

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collection boxes Juan Sánchez Cotán’s ‘Still Life with Game, Vegetables and Fruit’ painted in 1602, depicts a cupboard full of produce as described in the title of the painting. As outlined by the museum, “The composition is outstanding for its sobriety, intimacy and intensity” 13, neatly describing in detail each object left within the box. The collection boxes within the anchorites window have the same intensity, with offering of food from the day left to take.

13. Museo Del Prado, “Still Life with Game, Vegetables and Fruit”, Museodelprado, accessed 10 May, 2022, https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/ art-work/still-life-with-game-vegetables-and-fruit/91dfc698-786f-4680-ad733841988e7f4d

fig.22 Juan Sánchez Cotán, Still Life with Game, Vegetables and Fruit, 1602, oil on canvas, 68 cm x 88.2 cm

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extension of the Merveille The original intent of the mask for [re] stitching horizons was to act as an unfinished extension of the Merveille that was never built as intended. The mask contained a series of husks that travellers could inhabit such as eating, sleeping, reading, writing, and washing.

With the kitchen garden re-establishing the refectory as a place to eat, these husks become a continuation of the cloister, as a place to eat, meet and discuss affairs.

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iv. the meal

“The gigantic constructions, which rise on the north of the church, were called from their origin the Merveille.

This immense building, the most beautiful specimen which we have of the religious and military architecture of the middle ages, is composed of three floors : the lower one including the Almonry and the Cellar, the intermediate comprising the Refectory and the Knights’ hall; the higher one containing the Refectory and the Cloister.”

Edouard Corroyer Descriptive Guide of Mont SaintMichel

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[final ritual] harvest (noun)

1.

2.

the process or period of gathering in crops. the product or result of an action.

(verb)

3.

gather (a crop) as a harvest.

harvest... i. yeild

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Anchorites Window

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i. yield

Mask for a Surveyor

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Oyster Farm

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i. yield

Mussel Farm

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Cider Press

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i. yield

Bread Mill

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Anchorite’s House

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The Anchorite’s Garden

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figures note: all images not references are authors own. fig.01 Bay of Mont Saint-Michel, aerial image fig.02 “Mont Saint-Michel and Tombelaine in the bay”, photograph, accessed 10 May, 2022, https:// www.archives-manche.fr/e/ad50_iconographie?f rom=0&size=100&f_63%5B0%5D=Mont+Saint-Mic hel&f_58%5B0%5D=Gen%EAts+%28Manche%29 fig.03 “View of Tombelaine from the island”, photograph, (Island Temporalities Studio Archive, 2022) fig.04 “Surveyors using a Plane Table”, photograph,http://nmps.org /wp-content/ uploads/2016/03/Bob-Green-Capitalizing-onIntegrated-Surveying-Techniques-for-MaximumProductivity.pdf fig.05 Neil Denari, “Plan & Section of the Monastery”, drawing, from McCarter, Robert. Building Machines. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1987, 1987, 17-20 fig.06 Neil Denari, “Model view of the Monastery, drawing”. from McCarter, Robert. Building Machines. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1987. , 17-20

fig.13 “Venice building blocks: timber stilts bedded into silt”, photograph, accessed 10 May, 2022 , https://piecesofvenice.com/en/ venice-surrounded-by-water-built-on-wood/ fig.14 EMF, “Tudela-Culip Restoration Project in Cap de Creus by EMF and Ardèvol”, photograph, 2013, accessed 10 May, 2022, https://www.dezeen.com/2013/05/21/ tudela-culip-restoration-project-in-cap-decreus-cape-by-emf-and-ardevol/ fig.15 EMF, “Tudela-Culip Restoration Project in Cap de Creus by EMF and Ardèvol”, photograph, 2013, accessed 10 May, 2022, https://www.dezeen.com/2013/05/21/ tudela-culip-restoration-project-in-cap-decreus-cape-by-emf-and-ardevol/ fig.16 Pietro Longhi, “The Perfume Vendor”, 1756, oil on canvas

fig.07 “Pilgrimage crossing at Ginest”, photograph, 1961, accessed 10 May, 2022, https:// www.archives-manche.fr/e/ad50_iconographie?f rom=0&size=100&f_63%5B0%5D=Mont+Saint-Mic hel&f_58%5B0%5D=Gen%EAts+%28Manche%29

fig.17 “Photographs of Venetian Façades”, False Front City: Facade Venice

fig.08 “Pilgrims against the edge of the silt flats

by Ginest”, accessed 10 May, 2022, https://www. archives-manche.fr/e/ad50_iconographie?from=0 &size=100&f_63%5B0%5D=Mont+Saint-Michel&f_ 58%5B0%5D=Gen%EAts+%28Manche%29

fig.19 Dr A. C. Bishop, “Plate 24 Ronez Quarry”, St John, 1989, photograph, accessed 10 May, 2022, http://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/ Economic_geology_-_Jersey:_description_ of_1:25_000_Channel_Islands_Sheet_2

fig.09 Barbara Hepworth, “Pelagos”, Elm wood with colour and strings, 1946, Tate, accessed 10 May, https://barbarahepworth.org.uk/ sculptures/1946/pelagos/index.php?sort=title

fig.20 Canaletto, “The Stone Mason’s Yard”, 1726-30, oil on canvas, 123.8 x 162.9cm

fig.10 BFI “Barbara Hepworth, Figures in Landscape, 1953”, YouTube, 2011, accessed 10 May, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt9zRz-Jguc fig.11 “Querini Stampalia Travertine Wall”, from Murphy, Richard. Querini Stampalia Foundation: Carlo Scarpa. London: Phaidon Press, 1993.

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fig.12 “Querini Stampalia Water Gate and Step”, from Murphy, Richard. Querini Stampalia Foundation: Carlo Scarpa. London: Phaidon Press, 1993.

fig.18 Map of the Chaussey Islands, 1830, (Island Temporalities Studio Archive, 2022)

fig.21 National Geographic “Experience Venice’s Spectacular Beauty in Under 4 Minutes”, YouTube, 2016, https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=JphHw6iU4m8 fig.22 Juan Sánchez Cotán, “Still Life with Game, Vegetables and Fruit”, 1602, oil on canvas, 68 cm x 88.2 cm

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Accessed 10 May, 2022. http://cognet.mit.edu.ezproxy. is.ed.ac.uk/pdfviewer/book/9780262344371/chap7 Frearson, Amy. “Tudela-Culip Restoration Project in Cap de Creus by EMF and Ardèvol”. Dezeen. 21 May, 2013. Accessed 10 May, 2022 https://www.dezeen. com/2013/05/21/tudela-culip-restoration-project-incap-de-creus-cape-by-emf-and-ardevol/ Hawker, Adrian and Victoria Bernie. Island Territories vii: Island Temporalities, move 01 Register – things we draw from the storm, Project Brief: Vol. 1, Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, September 2020.

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