Serjeant Award for Excellence in Drawing
This project examines notions of memory and monumentality and poses questions about architectural heritage in the context of post-war Milan. Conceiving the city as a series of threaded layers of history, the proposed design examines the monuments of faith and fashion through a hybrid expression combined with existing post-war architectural material.
The project is situated thematically and topographically around the iconic Torre Diaz building (Martini Tower), a pathological monument in the centre of Milan that is representative of the post-war economic development which witnessed the eradication of the ancient neighbourhood of Bottouto and the loss of several historic churches, which were themselves emblematic of the city’s identity as a monument to the Catholic faith.
Through a series of provocative interventions to the existing modernist building, the project seeks to revive the memory of the pre-existing churches. Viewing monuments as symbolic markers of collective memory and cultural identity, akin to a city's logo, the project explores a multi-dimensional and intertwined narrative for the city’s modern history in the form of a Museum of Fashion. In this sense, the project explores the concept of the Hybridisation of Memory as a design methodology and through the analogical prism of fashion culture, it attempts to rewrite new histories and identities for the site.