Constructing the aesthetic sense : traversing scales of habitation in the Bingham Canyon Mine

Abstract

The activities of mining and mine reclamation in the American West raise questions of how we perceive, value, and differentiate between 'natural' and man-made landscapes, as they produce radical alterations of the land on a magnitude seldom seen. To many, the appearance of these sites is undesirable, but aesthetic perceptions of landscape that are based solely on visual appearance are incomplete. Through the accumulation of physical experiences and a deeper understanding of the forces that continually shape the land, there lies the opportunity to develop a more complex understanding of man's place in nature, and a more comprehensive aesthetic sense. Mine reclamation typically involves the reworking of topography and development of open ended ecological systems that intend to stabilize and visually 'naturalize' the altered landscape, thus making it more acceptable to the general public. However, these landscapes are most often seen from a distance, and are rarely engaged by human occupation. The Bingham Canyon Copper Mine near Salt Lake City, Utah is one of the largest man-made excavations on earth, and has been in production for over 100 years. It is a place with a rich cultural, technological, and natural history, and a place of dynamic change and movement. The project proposes a cultural reclamation of this mining landscape in the form of a science school as a means of supporting human experience in this place over time, providing opportunities to challenge the aesthetic sense.