Hello! My name is Mariah Jover. I’m a Part 2 Architectural student with an interest in cultural and
community-focused design.
Rooting from my interest in community, culture and materiality, I am inspired by architectural projects which are thoughtfully crafted in response to their contexts. As an individual who seeks to add value in the lives of others, I believe that architecture is about creating a sense of belonging and a long-lasting impact towards people’s lives.I am enthusiastic in ambitious yet functional designs and motivated by the creation of technical and sustainable solutions that allow design concepts to come to life. I am passionate in executing this through mediums including Rhino3D, adobe tools and hand drawings. In research, I believe in the value of illuminating new ways of thinking through exploring concepts which challenge the conventional. This mindset is what I have sought to exercise in my academic projects, and it has given me a great enthusiasm in imaginative yet practical design which I aspire to apply in professional practice.
Heterotopias are defined as real and effective spaces outlined in the very institution of society that are specifically characterised as “other.” As explained by Michel Foucault, such spaces of “otherness” play an essential role within western and eastern cultural traditions towards life and death. Through the western lens, heterotopias like cemeteries, have evolved to become spaces that are disconnected from everyday life (Foucault, 1984). As a result, heterotopias have been conventionally recognised as “other”, detached from the everyday. However, in eastern cultures like the Philippines, such heterotopias have become places where life and death socially and spatially co-exist, entangling the conventional concept of heterotopias into notions of everyday life.
Where honouring the departed is paramount in Filipino culture, the bereaved journey through heterotopias starting from a grieving home leading up to, and beyond the cemetery plays a large role in demonstrating the intersection of life and death. This thesis investigates how the union of life and death within Philippine bereavement heterotopias of the home, cemetery and life thereafter challenge the heterotopia’s conventional notions of otherness. Through the socio-spatial and cultural analysis of Manila North Cemetery discovered in Orçun Behram’s documentary, Home to Manila’s Poorest People, and the reflection of my bereavement journey, a fresh perspective of death is illuminated. In the intersection of life and death, there is an opportunity to reconnect and relearn ways of living in harmony with death through heterotopias.
The MArch Architecture is a two-year full-time or three-year part-time programme offering exemption from ARB/RIBA Part 2. It combines rigorous professional training with creative and speculative design exploration. In the first year, students join a themed design unit to undertake a creative building design project combined with a technical and professional report. In the second year, students pursue a comprehensive speculative architectural design project, and an in-depth theoretical thesis tailored to their personal interest. The programme fosters independent thinking, innovation, theoretical and technical excellence, preparing graduates for advanced architectural practice and ongoing professional development in a dynamic global context.
See further details on our prospectus page.
