Music is a language that transcends all barriers. A symphony that resonates among everyone irrespective of their caste, class or colour. Music encompasses culture, political, social and even spiritual connection. A center stage that connects a community of people and binds them through their shared experience, even if there is nothing that connects them at an individual level.
That’s how Montserrat, a small island in seas of The Caribbean looked like in 1970. George Martin (The Fifth Beatle) set up a music studio that became the epicenter of the international music scene. Musicians like Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Steve Wonder used to record their albums here. Music maneuvered a communal experience and an unspoken bonding between the celebrities and locals.
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But what happens when a place accidently losses it’s landmark ‘status symbol’? On July 18, 1995, after 1500 years, Soufriere Hills Volcano in Montserrat erupted. In 1997 the southern portion of the island was evacuated, abandoned and labelled as an exclusion zone after it was mostly buried in ash. The music studio, once a landmark, lies abandoned as a ruin being swooped by vegetation.
CHALLENGE
After 20 years, things are changing for Montserrat. With a population growth of 6.2%, people are slowly reclaiming their home. Alongside the government has laid out plans to revive the habitat. With Montserrat finding its ground, can the culture of music, once a status symbol, be resurrected?
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Challenge is to design an artist retreat center that functions as a studio for artists. Also creating a public platform for local community activities. Aim is to revive the ‘status symbol’ in a different language that promotes the culture of music, an element the place was once associated with. Source and images Courtesy of competitions.uni.
- Timeline
- Launch: November 23rd, 2019
- Registration closes: April 06th 2020
- Submission Deadline: April 16th 2020
- Public Voting begins: April 26th 2020
- Public Voting ends: May 17th 2020
- Result Announcement: May 27th 2020
- Prizes
- Prize: pool of worth 20,000$
- First Prize: 5000$ (For students and professionals)
- Runner Up: 6 x 1100$ (For students and professionals)
- People’s Choice: 4 x 600$ (Open for all)
- Honorable Mention x 12: 500$ Each
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