Invoking Memory: Traced Narratives of Mabou, Cape Breton

Abstract

This thesis investigates how memory is stored and transferred in rural landscapes by analyzing fading cultural histories evidenced in a set of lines in Mabou, Cape Breton, in Nova Scotia, Canada. Traces of the past manifest in lines: tangible – documentation and historical record – and intangible – story and song. Examining lines unlocks a broader reading of place that strives not to favour one dominant narrative above others. The working method collects and interprets the lines of memory, and employs the reinterpretation techniques of two artists, whose processes intentionally shift away from unconscious bias. The proposed architecture emerges from these strategies, as a series of constructions that contain, frame, and reframe memories along a path of an old train line, creating the spine. The journey is experienced as an exhibition that displays artifacts, tells stories, and positions the visitor in the landscape and within the continuum of memory.