3 unbuilt projects: Finley Creative Village, Minamata Memorial (1993) and Martin Place Lindt Café Siege Memorial (2014)

BACKGROUND: 'Finley Creative Village (1993),' 'Minamata Memorial (1993)' and 'Martin Place Lindt Café Siege Memorial (2014)' are 3 unbuilt projects by Anton James. They exist as 3 collections of drawings. They were critically reviewed by landscape architect and artist Katrina Simon, and published in a book chapter entitled 'Ephemeral, Fragmentary and Elusive: Capturing Memory in the Landscape Drawings of Anton James,' in 'Hand and Mind: Conversations on Architecture and the Built World' (2018). The chapter features an in-depth discussion of James' research practice in landscape architecture through the method and medium of drawing, demonstrated through a sustained analysis of each project. CONTRIBUTION: The 3 projects use drawing techniques that are aligned to the ephemeral, fragmentary and elusive nature of memory. Taken together, they demonstrate James' ongoing investigation into the ideas of fields of effect and ephemeral traces that recur throughout his built works. To quote Simon, James' 'unbuilt memory projects demonstrate a personal and evocative link between thinking about events and places of the near and distant past, and ways of making marks that ... evoke and make our own direct connection with them.' These qualities connect to his drawing practice as a repository of spatial and experiential thought. They also show a particular concern for ideas of memory and time which underpins his contribution to landscape architectural design. SIGNIFICANCE: The significance of these projects is attested through their inclusion in a critical book chapter by landscape architecture scholar and artist Katrina Simon. The book was edited by Ainslie Murray and Professor Xing Ruan (University of New South Wales Built Environment). The book features reflections by Australian architects and designers to reveal parts of their practices that are often hidden. It was published through NewSouth Books (previously UNSW Press).