Chapter 3: Authenticity in Different Degree of Displacement Architecture
3.1 Transformation of Leisure Space
3.1.3 Displacement of Iconic Architecture in Response to Leisure and Tourism
3.1.3 Displacement of Iconic Architecture in Response to Leisure and
United Kingdom National Trust, Hinemihi has once more been a part of a tourist destination, the Clandon Park estate.
One hundred and twenty-five years after the Mt Tarawera eruption in 1886, the whare Hinemihi has found a new place to live in the grounds of a Palladian manor house in a country garden in England. Tene Waitere, one of New Zealand's best carver artists, is also the subject of this book. Hinemihi's biography is intertwined with that of the Te Arawa people of the mid-19th century, who were resourceful and entrepreneurial. As a tourist destination, the Tarawera and Lake Rotomohana in their tribal rohe in the Bay of Plenty has become one of New Zealand's most popular destinations. As Aotearoa's crown jewel, the Pink and White Terraces became the most popular tourist destination in the 1870s. Te Arawa reaped the financial benefits of this breathtaking natural wonder even while the tourism industry was only getting started. (Engels-Schwarzpaul & Wikitera, 2019)The site location might not be the crucial development factor from the beginning, and together with the natural disaster from the volcano, the traditional craftsmanship of the local architects or artists might not be the heritage or monumentality at that time. However, outsiders' exotic and foreign experiences define authenticity, even in its original context and location.
Figure 55 Hinemihi meeting house at Te Wairoa, near Rotorua, in the 1880s.
Retrieved fromteara.govt.nz/en/photograph/23714/hinemihi-meeting-house
Hinemihi was relocated to Clandon Park in April 1892 and has lived there in relative seclusion for the last 127 years. She arrived there after being displaced. Some strange additions to the whare, like as the thick thatch roof installed in 1978, are considered to be a result of the appearance of the whare coated in 1886 ash. When this
person visited Clandon Park in 2014, they were greeted by this spectacular history.
Hinemihi's story and her place in New Zealand's and Maori culture's narratives are both extraordinary and assured. The sight of a Maori whare in the grounds of a Palladian home in rural England is still a bizarre experience for visitors from New Zealand. The home may be the first thing a visitor notices, as it is surrounded by large lawns and manicured gardens. Architect Giacomo Leoni, who designed the home in the early 1730s, is credited with its construction.
Hinemihi is tucked away within a collection of trees and plants around a hundred and fifty meters from the mansion. The contrast between Hinemihi and the main home creates an intriguing visual dialogue that is both confusing and welcoming.
Architectural discourse is taking place between two cultures that have a lot in common.
The New Zealand tourist's first interaction with the country's two-century-old history is emotionally fraught for him or her. Even though the viewer has no prior knowledge of Hinemihi's trek, the whare's presence and the stunning location are impossible to ignore.(Engels-Schwarzpaul & Wikitera, 2019)
Figure 56 Hinemihi and the Clandon Park House, two Iconic vernacular architecture that sits in the same context and connect to the slavery and colonization historical.
Retrieved fromwww.nationaltrust.org.uk/clandon-park/
Hinemihi as a displacement architecture for tourism might not create the phenomenal or impact to the tourist industry. But as one of the first re-located of the iconic vernacular architecture to the new location with totally different context and also just placed in the same area of another iconic vernacular architecture of the Palladian mansion in West Clandon. The local context of the Clandon park then represent the identity of two different vernacular architecture that told the story of how Palladian
mansion was built from the wealthy of slavery trading, and how colonization can relocate the local vernacular of Maori meeting house from other side of the world to be here.
After 127 years of displacement, in 2019 the National Trust and the great grandson of the artist that create the house and together with the local community and Ngati Hinemihi in New Zealand, had reach the agreement in the process of sending Hinemihi to where it was born.
Together with our Maori friends and partners we have cared for Hinemihi at Clandon Park for many years. We recognise their deep spiritual relationship with the historic carvings of their honored ancestor, that they consider Hinemihi a living being and want her to return home. The proposed exchange of carvings will deepen the close Maori relationship with Clandon Park, creating a lasting presence through new carvings with spiritual significance and power which will enrich the experience of our visitors, communities and others who value this special cultural connection. (Statement from National Trust in 2019)
The displacement of Hinemihi inspire the idea of how the vernacular architecture can bring the new degree of authenticity to the tourism. With the Iconic forms depend on the preservation of a sense of belonging outside their original context. A tourist's commitment to a place can be sparked by an emotive imagination, and both natives and tourists are influenced by iconic structures. The displacement of vernacular architecture to provide an exotic experience for leisure. Architecture is distinguished by its enduring presence, which has effects on both tourists and residents. Therefore, on a sustainable basis, it must be compatible with place and circumstance. Where modesty may be appropriate for one destination, great architecture may be a catalyst for change or a selling point for another.
Figure 57 Displacement architecture in new context with the new image for leisure.
- Miniature as Another Repetition for the Architecture of Displacement.
When the arrival of the displacement of iconic vernacular architecture arrived England in 1892, there are the hobby that create another type of authenticity experience introduce to the wealthy class in England. Miniature city or the tiny size of the iconic buildings or town was introduced in the end of 19th century, and it start with the wealthy class as the private collection in their mansion. Even there is evidence to suggest the existence of private model villages and miniature parks since the 19th century but take decades to make the debut as the public tourism authenticity place in which we can call Miniature City or Miniature Park.
Fondness upon miniature might get start from the wealthy class that want to learn about a city or country which has hosted various civilizations for thousands of years and managed to survive their own architectural and art works, requires quite a long time and has a lot of expense. The relocation process of iconic architecture like Hinemihi also not possible for more important in historical and monumental architecture. Then the repetition in the smaller scale is the solution according to the technology and craftmanship during those time. Most model villages and parks are built to a consistent scale; varying from 1:76 up to the 1:9. Miniature parks however, are primarily concerned with the display of exhibits in their own right, viewed from a distance. Model railways, rivers and roads may provide a continuation between miniature parks exhibits, as people installed little miniature buildings and railways into their own gardens. The first authentic miniature parks were ones available to the public. The earliest original miniature park is Bekonscot, in England. Later, Madurodam in the Netherlands was opened and many others followed. In various places of the world, for the same goals, small parks began to be constructed.
Figure 58 Bekonscot Miniature Park During it Early Days in 1930s Retrieved fromhttps://www.bekonscot.co.uk/our-history/
Bekonscot founder Mr. Roland Callingham, a London accountant, asked gardeners to excavate a swimming pool at his Beaconsfield residence in 1927. The pool and tennis courts were utilized for outdoor parties attended by London's upper crust.
Politicians, minor royals, aristocracy, and the era's movers and shakers would take a breath of fresh air in the countryside. In 1928, Mrs. Callingham gave a brief but eloquent speech in which she urged that either she or the indoor model railroad should be eliminated. The miniature railroad was relocated outside. All of the structures in the village were based on recollection, imagination, or photographs of local landmarks and staff members' personal preferences. The originator of Bekonscot was never concerned with accuracy; it always been eccentric, humorous, and full of personality; Bekonscot was never intended to be taken too seriously.
In contrast, when the concept of a miniature park was first introduced to the general public, it was viewed as a place to exhibit selected specimens of history and culture from around the world to people by preserving their proportions and providing city dwellers with alternative recreational areas. An Anatolian miniature park is a collection of tiny models of buildings and landscapes that represent the diversity and richness of earlier Anatolian civilizations and especially Ottoman magnificence. When you take into account their historical and geographical context, the placement of these miniature models in the park is completely random. When it comes to exhibitions, each miniature structure or landscape is treated as a stand-alone piece. According to the heterotopias idea, it looks more like an open-air museum from this perspective.
Figure 59 Miniatürk, world’s largest miniature park in Istanbul, Turkey.
Retrieved fromistanbul.com/things-to-do/miniaturk
The miniature park development not only the start point of duplication process of the iconic and monumental architecture, but also it introduce a new tourist gaze to the architectural image that further on will define the new monumentality in leisure and tourism architecture. For instance, a man who lives in a historical context and a man who visits it as a tourist will see it very differently.
In order to fully understand the ‘tourist gaze’ it would be useful to have a clear understanding of what a tourist is and what tourism as an activity is and define a tourist as, “someone who has travelled to another place for a brief sojourn, an experience that necessarily entails a distinct period of transition and discontinuity from the everyday world”. Describes the act of tourism as, “a leisure activity which presupposes its opposite, namely regulated and organised work. It is one manifestation of how work and leisure are organised as separate and regulated spheres of social practice in ‘modern’ societies”. (UKEssays, 2019)
However, it may not be more than a separate architectural effort to an international tourist. Similarly, a man who has never seen the originals of the miniature models on display would not understand their symbolic significance. They would likely be considered as "beautiful" and significant architectural creations. However, those familiar with these structures and environs would have a different view. For example, if one person stops when he sees a red light in a beacon and the other person keeps walking, it can be concluded that the first person understands the meaning of red light under traffic laws and the second person might not. There is diversity among the visitors; this diversity is related to both the age of the tourists and their social status.
Therefore, miniature park can be viewed as a type of consumption architecture for tourism purposes. Moreover, regular people compare the small replicas of structures from various geographical regions and chronological periods. This inclination is really rather common, as the scale of the models allows for comparison. Miniature Park is a location that allows architects to interact with people on the street. In other words, it is a meeting place for all individuals. Miniature models contribute to developing positive relationships with an average citizen, regardless of whether they are deemed architectural by professionals. This popularity and communicative benefit cannot be disregarded and
should be utilized by architects and professional organizations to generate interest in both the cultural heritage and current architecture.
3.1.4 Monumentality of Image and Its Temporality in Leisure