DEFINITION – GAZES
Before visiting Chimopar, and based on the theory formulated by Stefano Boeri in his ‘Eclectic Atlases’, multiple lenses were established through which the site could be observed, addressing issues of inscription, stitches, scars, colour, post occupancy, play, canvas, alignment, order, object, labyrinth, nerves, blurring, exposure, erosion, skin, openness, light, ruin. Defining these different lenses or gazes towards the site enabled distinct interpretations of the site. The gaze frames the viewer’s position and each position offers an alternative reading of the site.
The labyrinth, a complex network of pathways and walls, became the first lens through which the site was observed. Before the initial visit, the site was explored from a distance by tracing the visible networks. Whilst this was a very limited view, it did allow for a spatial conception of the site. Ruined structures appeared as a collection of objects sunken within the landscape, pathways and roads formed inscriptions within the surface of the land, and the network of overlaid pipes formed connections between the structures and pathways. The labyrinth’s model (fig. 1) framed the site as a network of defined paths and structures and became a tool in navigating through the space.