lost town, walton-on-the-naze, uk, 2004
internationaler wettbewerb, 1. Preis
projektname lost town
jahr 2004
standort walton-on-the-naze
leistungsphasen wettbewerb, machbarkeitsstudie
Idee
Durch Küstenerosion ist die Stadt Walton-on-the-Naze an der wilden Küste von Essex teilweise im Meer versunken. Nun wird ihr ein Stück Vergangenheit zurück gegeben: ihre Kirche. Als gigantische Skulptur aus Edelstahlzylindern zeigt sie in Originalgröße am alten Standort im Meer, was Naturgewalt bedeuten kann. Ein symbolisches Kunstwerk an genau der Stelle, an der vor Hunderten von Jahren noch Land war und eine Kirche stand.
Konstruktion
Die Konstruktion basiert auf einem simplen Element: einem Stahlrohr. Wir kombinieren 41 Rohre unterschiedlicher Längen, jeweils mit einem Durchmesser von 70 cm.
Oberfläche
Die Rohre bestehen aus Edelstahl höchster Güte und sind daher absolut korrosionsbeständig. Durch Polieren erhalten sie eine reflektierende Oberfläche, die die Farben der Umgebung reflektiert: Je nach Lichtstimmung ändert die Skulptur ihre Erscheinung. So werden Sonne, Himmel und Meer Teil des Kunstwerks.
Transparenz
Die Skulptur wirkt irreal und geisterhaft, erinnert an Vergangenes. Je nach Standort des Betrachters ändert sich der Grad der Transparenz, mal wirkt die Skulptur wie ein geschlossenes Volumen, mal sieht man zwischen den Stäben hindurch den Horizont.
www.losttown.net
the idea
lost town is a dramatic project designed to explain the impact of coastal erosion and the forces of nature which control it. by rebuilding the lost church of medieval walton as a steel sculpture, the project aims to create a unique landmark, commemorating the east of englands lost towns while letting visitors experience the history of the place.
we want to
- explain the impact of coastal erosion
- give people a feeling for the forces of nature which control the region
- commemorate the lost towns and the lost land of the east of england
our idea is to
- rebuild the lost church of medieval walton as a sculpture in the sea.
- a symbolic structure at the site were - some hundered years ago – was land.
why a church?
every medieval town or village had a church. they were major buildings and landmarks - sailors used the towers as navigation aid. we use the church not in its religious sense but as a symbol for a settlement. the sculpture has the generic shape and the size of a medieval church with a tower and a nave. it has the characteristics of a medieval church like columns and verticality.
transparency
it represents something that once was real and is now gone. thereforee wanted to give it an unreal, ghostly look. there fore, it is composed of an addition of one simple element:
a steel pile. the sculpture consists of 41 piles of different lengths with a diameter of 70 cm.
the degree of transparency changes according to the position of the spectator. from different viewpoints, e. g. walking along the beach, it looks like a closed volume, or you can look through and see the horizon.
another reason for the use of piles comes from a technical point of view: wind and waves can pass through. the sculpture will have to withstand the same enormous forces that are constantly eroding the cliffs.
reflecting surface
the piles are made of stainless steel which resists sea water and protects against corrosion. by polishing, the surface becomes highly reflecting and adopts the colours of the surroundings:
the appearance of the sculpture will change according to sunlight and weather condition. the sun and the ocean become
part of the artwork.
coastal erosion
one of the outstanding features of the east of england is its continuously changing coastline as a result of permanent coastal erosion. as a result of coastal erosion, a large quantity of its ancient surface lies now underwater.
walton-on-the-naze
walton-on-the-naze in essex is an attractive traditional seaside town and is surrounded by beautiful countryside. but it also has a long history of coastal erosion:
1300 ad
originally, walton was a farming village situated miles inland, and it did not become a coastal region until the 1700s. over the centuries large quantities of land were lost to the sea due to coastal erosion
1800 ad
untill 1800, huge parts of the medieval settlement have been washed away, culminating in the loss of the all saints church in 1789. in 1800, the community of walton consisted of 250 inhabitants. the naze tower was build in 1720 to serve as a lighthouse for ships going to harwich.
2006 ad
today, the town of walton is protected by a concrete sea wall and wooden groynes. the naze peninsular is eroding heavily.
pillboxes from the second world war have fallen from the cliff and are lying on the beach, illustrating how fast coastal erosion continues (1-2 meter per year). if erosion is not stopped, the naze tower is likely to be lost to the sea within the next 50 years and the naze peninsular might become an island.