Of
the
thesis
entitled: Journey
into
Caldera
Abstract:
There
is
a
dormant
volcano in
the
northern
province
of
Jilin,
China,
called
the
Baekdu/Chang
Bai
Mountain. At
the
top
of
this
2,744
m
mountain
is
a
large
caldera
filled
with
water,
named “Heaven
Lake”.
Geologically,
this
caldera
straddles
China
and
North
Korea, split by
the
man-made
border.
As
a
sacred
mountain
to
both
people,
there
have always
been
ongoing
cultural
and
political
disputes
surrounding
the
site. Despite
the
tentative
agreement
between
the
two
governments,
their
people refute
each
other’s
historical
claims,
declaring the
mountain
as
their
own.
As one
born
not
5
hours
from
this
caldera
with
both
heritages,
I
have
experienced firsthand
this
issue
of
identity.
Originating
from
China, shibori
is
the
ancient
Japanese
method
of
dying
textiles.
It
is
the
union
of two
elements,
the
indigo
dye
and
the
resistance
of
the
fabric,
swirling
in
a steaming
bath,
transforming
into
an
entirely
new
character.
Through
hours
and days
of
folding, knotting,
and
wrapping,
the
shibori
maker
works
in
tandem
with the
nature
of
the
fabric
to
create
a
unique
and
beautiful
piece
every
time.
The symbiotic
nature
of
this
ancient
art
offers
a
new
perspective
to
the
ongoing territorial
conflict.
Impacted
by
the
trip
to
the mountain,
and
inspired
by
the
methods
of
shibori,
the
thesis
choreographs
a journey
into
caldera.
As
an
inspiration,
Shibori
is
the
possibility
that
two opposing
forces,
the
relentless
indigo
dye
and
the
resisting
white
fabric,
can unite
to
emerge
as a
new
identity.
Transcribing
the
caldera
as
a
physical manifestation
of
this
unity
between
two
cultures,
the
thesis
proposes
an intervention
on
this
highly
contested
pilgrimage
site.
It
does
not
offer
a definitive
solution
to
the
political
conflict
around
Baekdu/Changbai,
but rather
examines
the
lines
of
connections
between
the
shibori
and
the
caldera through
architecture
as
a
platform
that
promotes
a
harmonious
existence
of
two forces.
The examining committee is as follows:
Supervisor:
Dereck Revington, University of Waterloo
Committee Members:
Andrew Levitt, University of Waterloo
Donald McKay, University of Waterloo
External Reader:
Jonathan Tyrrell
The
committee
has
been
approved
as
authorized
by
the
Graduate
Studies
Committee.
The
Defence
Examination
will
take
place:
Tuesday
June
6,
2017
10:00
AM
ARC
2026
A
copy
of
the
thesis
is
available
for
perusal
in
ARC
2106A.