Paradigms lost: Utopian ideology and Wellington

Abstract

This report deals with utopian ideologies and their architectural manifestations. The eighteenth-century Enlightenment is identified as a turning point in the development of the concept of utopia. Before the Enlightenment, utopias were static abstractions of a localised society; afterwards they became progressive and dynamic, speculations on future, universal societies. It was during the Enlightenment that Man became aware of his ability to define and control the world. Utopian thinking of the time involved isolated, idyllic communities, where the inhabitants could live true to their nature. The Enlightenment was the birth of the Modern Age, initiating the current rise of rationalism, individualism and materialism. Consumerism can be identified as the modern "religion"; transient fashions have replaced timeless values. The world's cultures are gradually blending into a homogeneous "monoculture", where any residual individuality is seen as representation rather than reality. New Zealand first came to European attention during the Enlightenment. The South Pacific was seen as the "final unknown", the last of the world's uncharted lands. It seemed that the Enlightenment vision of utopia, an isolated, uncorrupted society, could be realised here. The city of Wellington was conceived as a model town, an attempt to create the ideal society through urban design. The original plan drawn in England was adapted to the wild topography of Lambton Harbour, losing much of the intended coherence and symmetry. The early architecture was rugged and honest, attaining an unintended "national identity." Much of our contemporary architecture recalls the directness of the colonial work, while vigorously asserting its individuality. The city of Wellington has achieved a measure of balance with its natural environment, retaining much of its early "bounded" qualities, the sea on one side and the hills on the other. New Zealand attempts to maintain its frontier myths, the pioneering spirit that distinguishes us from much of the developed world. At the same time, we wish to be part of the international network of commerce. New Zealand is a "transitional utopia", on the interface between the classical and modern visions.