RECLAIMING THE COASTAL EDGE
by Simran Dehal
My theoretical project looks at the Mediterranean coastland, going beyond boundaries and looking at the water’s edge as the new reference point, ‘where the sea meets the land’. My aim is to place gardens along the shore from Beirut in Lebanon, up to Alexandria in Egypt to decolonise the landscape. However, In this project I focus on a new collective walled garden located in Tel Aviv, Jaffa in Palestine-Israel. Tel Aviv and Jaffa are often known for their contradicting styles of architecture from Jaffa’s old organic forms to the land of monuments in the iconic international style that fills The White City in Tel Aviv. Furthermore, its location stands as a site that has brought in masses of political and religious unrest. Therefore, my design turns to the sky, it looks at bird migration routes that follow the coastal edge to create a neutral and shared language. Differences in religious, social or political beliefs are put aside, cultivating hope for our planet. Dissecting and reassembling the monuments that exist in the area led to a symbolic, softer and more inclusive landscape. Formed using the interventions of both real and fictional structure to offer a new reality. A place for man and nature.
