Chimera Obscura: wayfinding vestiges in rural Iceland

Abstract

University of Washington Abstract Chimera Obscura: wayfinding vestiges in rural Iceland Jena Maureen Restad Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Kimo Griggs, Associate Professor Architecture As tourists, we travel to learn, we travel to experience, and through the journey we attempt to gain insights into another culture. As pilgrims, we travel to learn, we travel to experience, and through the journey we attempt to gain insights into our own culture. The scale of these journeys may vary, but there are moments of convergence. These intersections are charged with the responsibility to make heritage legible to populations of varying cultural literacy. These significant cultural markers need to teach. In the progression from learning, to understanding, to mastery, the ability to teach is indicative of the highest level of comprehension. A touchstone of this caliber serves the pilgrim in their journey for enlightenment. It serves the tourist in their introduction to the themes. This thesis proposes a pilgrimage route punctuated by wayfinding vestiges in the Westfjords of Iceland.