Libby Baker

Preserving memories of Fort Lane through sensory modulation

Within 200 years, Auckland’s waterfront has gone through many changes to be what it is now. What was once a body of water is now disconnected and covered over with a built environment. The reclaimed land has weakened our connection to the natural environment and our memories of history. How can we become more connected with our spatial surroundings to prove and preserve these historical memories?

‘Crystallized memories’ is a centre for preserving and reviving memories surrounding the historical narrative of Fort Lane and the ocean. The project transforms the service way, Imperial Lane, into a memory-evoking space. Working with how the human body and water hold memory, the project provides sensory modulation that provokes memories of coastal environments. Using sight, touch and smell receptors, it resurfaces personal and historical memories of the ocean.