Site Analysis — Observations from the Rail Trail in the Hamilton Escarpment
Type: Academic
Course: 2B Design Studio
Studio Coordinator: Lola Sheppard
Through an ongoing site analysis of the Hamilton Escarpment, I have been interested in looking at how human interventions and industry emerge from the landscape. In this research, I am experimenting with the ways photography can become a representational medium in my design work.
Observing the Hamilton Brick Manufacturing Company site after seeing how much clay is deposited in the area, clarified why the factory was built in this part of the Escarpment. I thought stitching the clay deposit photo with photos of the factory would emphasize this relationship.
Physical samples collected from the Rail Trail — The Clay deposit along the road inspired me to start looking at the types of soil along the rail trail. I recorded physical samples by dragging my sketchbook on the clay from the trail to see how the colour would stain the page.
After walking the trails and seeing the exposed geology, it was especially meaningful to see the design of the rock garden in Sam Lawrence Park. Although the rocks were arranged artificially, their placements encouraged me to follow their angled edges along the path in a nonlinear way. I began documenting the forms in sketching and the textures of the boulders in the garden.
Stitching the photo of the Albion Falls rock formation with the designed paths of the rock garden relates the textures of the geology of various scales, despite the different formation types from each site. I found it interesting how the stitched photos suggest stations.
