In Situ

The second assignment this semester focused on landscape extraction. Slate quarrying was chosen. The site shares qualities of two quarries found in Snowdonia. The armature resembles the steam engine tramway that both quarries relied on. A portion of the site holds qualities of a modern quarry, with machine quarried characteristics, while the other, an old quarry, relies much more on hand work. The idea for the armature comes from the tramway that both quarries were founded on. Revealing the tramway above and below the site is done since the tramway was a system located above and below the ground. Both quarries are abandoned—they remain as if they were both frozen in time. The final mapping, analyzes how slate is quarried. It shows the multiple steps involved in the quarrying process, such as: air-blasting, rock exploding and the uplifting of slate dust. The two white stripes in the drawing stand for the quarry climber and air-blaster, the pair are central to the quarrying process. Since quarries are usually located near hot springs, a bluish tint is incorporated within the drawing. The color acts as an extension of the rock particles in the air, caused by the explosion.