Journeys: an interpretive critique of the Christchurch railway station

Abstract

Reading and interpreting landscape in a new or different way, ‘reading against the grain’, has the potential to reveal hidden or unintentional aspects of a design. This enables a design to be reconsidered and examined without being constrained by its canonical interpretation. The third Christchurch railway station is considered as a structure embodying aspects of Shivaism, highlighting the potential for train journeys and railway stations to be considered as metaphors for spiritual journeys and milestones. Discovering symbolic components of an ancient philosophical tradition unintentionally embodied in the landscape expression of a railway station provides an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between design intent and design interpretation, and on our own journeys through life.