Li-Jung Hsiao

REUSE PLATFORM

This is a project of reusing existing ruins.

Location : Ruins of Nettleham Hall in Lincoln.

The project aims to create a spatial experience in an architectural performance space through moving lines and visual arrangements.

By continuing the spatial division and story of the historical site, the viewers will simultaneously assume the roles of audience and performers in the space. Through the transformation of identity through bodily perception, as exploration deepens, they will understand the historical stories within the space. As you embark on this journey and pause at the intersections of sight, observing through the gaps, this place will redefine the possibilities of performance.

The core concept focuses on continuing the spatial narrative of the historical site. Revolving around the reuse of the story, in this case, the story and spirit of the predecessors will be continued, learning from history and growing through inheritance. Starting from the past master-servant relationship, by highlighting the characteristics of different openings in the ruins, an intriguing contrast in perspective and state of mind between the two sides is restored. This also symbolizes the relationship between the audience and performers, much like that of a master and servant—Observe and being observed.

This Art center composed of multiple stages, through which the broken ruins and stories are connected into an architectural performance space. Viewers appreciate the space and artworks while observing the moving individuals, sometimes gazing, sometimes peering. This creates an experiential framework from a subjective perspective and a performance from an objective framework. I aspire to create an infinite cycle of observation and being observed, concern and being concerned through this platform of intersecting viewpoints. Bringing residents together to explore and communicate, unfolding a new chapter of Nettleham Hall's story on the stage of historical tales.

Before studying at RCA, I studied industrial design at Tatung University in Taiwan. I have five years of experience in film and video, three years in industrial design and two years of working experience in fashion brands. Through these experiences, I have established a diversified design and comprehensive thinking ability from visual image, product design, and store display to marketing planning.

During this year's MA studies, I joined the SuperReuse platform, which gave me the opportunity to continue to start from my interests, by using materials, sequences, and narrative methods to challenge the original viewing perspective to create different spatial feelings. At the same time, I also have a deeper understanding of reuse. I believe a good interior space must show the track of time implicitly or explicitly. Through extraction and iteration, record and inherit the stories behind it, and endow the space with new life.

Practice I – During the exploration, I began with the existing wall boundaries in the ruins and proceeded to replace and reassemble them in a 1:150 scale model. I also added a bottom surface to explore the different sensations of the same wall at different heights, in response to the fragmented nature of the space.

Practice II

In this stage, I studied different ways that affect sightline and developed four major categories of sightline through diagrams, starting with openings, including lights and shadows, paths and stairs, and multi-materials. Through different approaches, I hope to observe how they affect the way people view the space.

What if we view the relationship between the audience and performer as a metaphor, can the ruin be seen as a large architectural performance? People consider themselves as an audience while observing art, but at the same time, they also become performers. In this Art Centre, these two roles are constantly shifting, between people, objects, and space.

The stair plaza at the entrance opens the journey before entering the building. The basement serves as "the backstage" of this architectural performance space. The low ceiling and weak light create a sense of depression. The wood is inspired by the back of the backstage props, and these backs are used to lay out the front of the basement in the space.

Li-Jung Hsiao

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Royal College of Art