Amphibian Acquisition: an observatory for the skies, set in a sodden grave

This studio details the observation of uncertain environments through a series of historical, ecological, and cosmological lenses that focus on amphibious methods. The word ‘amphibian’ comes to us from the Ancient Greek terms ‘amphi’ and ‘bios’, which together mean ‘both kinds of life’. We are familiar with this in describing animals that can live on land or in water, but artist Julieta Aranda and multispecies anthropologist Eben Kirksey use the term to theorise ‘flitting’ between multiple worlds and choosing indeterminate spaces to cultivate and curate. ‘Amphibian Acquisition’ explores such interconnected processes as they intersect with architecture and help curate their surroundings. Students develop an observatory for clients that include humans, nonhumans, and inorganic objects; and which acknowledges we all inhabit an increasingly undead world. The project is located on Kaurna Country at the edge of what is now known as Garden Island, just beyond Port Adelaide. The site simultaneously holds a transformed estuary, resting ground for scuttled ships, Adelaide’s heavy industry zone, and dolphin sanctuary. The creation of a scientific outpost in these challenging environmental conditions within the sodden grounds of Garden Island provides for experimentation with a typology that has a long and fascinating architectural history: the astronomical observatory.