Totem City

TOTEM CITY

Totem City was a competition entry by Hindley & Co for the 2015 Power Street Loop Competition. It received a High Commendation award.

Site Response

The Power St Loop site is surrounded by rampant and seemingly chaotic development, Yet, however unnatural, there is beauty in it. Nowhere do we see form following function more authentically.

The totemic high-rise of the CBD to the north, the speeding trucks spiraling around the site, the massive monoliths of the Citylink pylons, the commercial signage, the art schools and the flamboyant centres for visual and performing arts are all equally dramatic expressions of who we are and how we lead our lives.

The question is, can we reconcile this to the natural world? Can we bulldoze our cities through nature without annihilating it, without forgetting it?

Where are we and what are we doing?

The Power St Loop site will be an oasis of bush in the middle of the concrete jungle. It should remind us of where we really are: in the middle of a manmade metropolis in a much larger natural world. Totem City seeks to amplify this experience.

The aim is to arrest the attention and distort perception for a moment, to bring a little focus onto the work and its context. If our attention is shifted from the mundane, and brought back to the bigger picture, even momentarily, it would be a valuable contribution.

Concept

The project consists of a series of columns, each a series of concrete blocks, suspended off a central blade of mirror stainless steel. The concrete is raw and basic, an honest and ancient material. The steel is a highly technical material. The mirrored surface both reflects the environment, and gives the illusion of transparency.

The concrete at first appears floating, bringing the natural law of gravity into question. The columns are totemic, but arranged with meticulous rational order. They are contemporary city buildings pared back to the essence.

The concrete will patina over time, perhaps grow a little lichen and moss. When the area floods, the columns will be reflected in the water, again confusing the perception. It will also serve to remind us that as the oceans rise, our high-rise cities could be sitting in water too.

The scale of Totem City is human, not as big as the trees that sit around it, and not as monstrous as the neighbouring apartments.

Context

Totem City acknowledges its precinct in the ways described above. It is also situated in a cultural context and tradition. It pays homage to the minimalism of the Artist Donald Judd, the work of Philip K Smith III and the architectural ideas of Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Rem Koolhaas.