Ozymandias; Edifice to Mankind’s Endeavour
Ozymandias; Edifice to Mankind’s Endeavour is a cemetery, celebrating the achievements, struggles and labours of being human. Ozymandias is a response to the pessimistic outlook of being human, as we grow disenchanted and decadent to what we were; explorers and pioneers. In a way, the cemetery complex acts as a tomb and monument to this generations attitude and presence in this world.
The complex is situated in a soon to be disused Potosi Silver Mine in Broken Hill, NSW, elegiacally dabbles in the arrogance and greed of mankind. Rather than to succumb to the notion of typical mine rehabilitation, the project seeks to bring back life to mine through death, in tune with Broken Hill’s approach to preserving mining heritage.
The journey itself; to Broken Hill and inside the complex, embodies the adventurous spirit and will that make us human, where poetry meets built environment in the form of materiality, scale and light. The complex not only offers a resting place for the dead but also place of contemplation and respite for one to understand their presence in the universe. The journey towards the depth of the mine was inspired by my experience as I deal through sadness and sorrow of losing my loved ones.
