A Method for Designing Monuments for River Culture: The Chilean Patagonia Sin Represas Environmental Movement as a Case Study

Abstract

This thesis asks how nature becomes a part of identity. It looks to the Chilean Patagonia Sin Represas (Without Dams) movement which halted the building of several hydroelectric dams along the Baker River. Geographical scales are used as a way of showing how a localized infrastructure proposal became a national issue, inspiring protesting far away in the national capital. Design methods and siting strategy are directly derived from this scalar analysis. Abstraction speaks to general national experiences. Complimentary river monuments and rhetorical siting strategies come from different regional identities. The idea of paths and perception show how particular cultures form connections to local landscapes. The result are monuments inspired by each of the protest characters which are situated along the largest protest route in Santiago. These interventions not only give space to the former protestors, but also invite all Chileans to think of the importance of rivers.