Matilde Audisio

About

With a background in architectural critical thinking, I came to the RCA History of Design course with a pre-existing interest in theoretical concepts of space, place and non-place. Through these themes, I considered the invisible relational ties of transitory spaces and edgelands as backdrops for discussions on spatial identity through time.

For my dissertation I chose a post-industrial site, trapped in a redevelopment limbo. Flanked by engineered waterways, Pomona (Manchester) seemed barren and dormant – suspended in a foggy grey haze, the site occupied an empty urban space between two cities – somewhere and nowhere, simultaneously. Pomona was chosen to frame a research question on the historical value of inadvertent or ‘failed’ spatial design, and the significance of non-place within an urban setting.

However, as research began, the site in question quickly drew me into a completely different direction, with an open mind, I leant into this spaces’ fruitful history. Through the study of the site, my historical focus changed entirely. This dissertation led me to discuss Pomona Gardens, Manchester between 1845 and 1887, as a site for the sale and consumption of leisure and recreation within a rapidly changing, urban context. Through my research, I have since developed a significant understanding of the complex and multifaceted nature of the history and design of British pleasure gardens between the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. Of particular interest is the development of these ground’s ordinary and extra-ordinary attractions and, the design and influences that informed the physical structures from which they were performed or experienced.