Proliferating the Essence of Mokauea: Performative Symbiosis of a Coastal Habitat

Abstract

Within the city of Honolulu, Hawaii, amidst a plethora of man-made, heavy-handed engineering projects, survives the remnants of a Native Hawaiian fishing village, located on a tiny island within Ke‘ehi Lagoon, Mokauea. Currently serving as a physical representation or remembrance of a generation past, deep-seeded in Native Hawaiian maritime culture, the reality of climate change threatens its continued existence. Scientific projections validate the inevitability of a rise in sea level that will result in the complete submergence of the island with the next century. The purpose behind this research and design project is to explore and propose a solution that proliferates the essence of Mokauea. As mainstream adaptation strategies may be unsuitable for culturally rich and distinctive indigenous peoples, it becomes important to identify and understand the specific and inherent culture, community and environment of Mokauea. Through the formation of a sense of place, a perspective is formed that leads to responsive, responsible and sensitive design. The proposed design is described as a Water Network Experience that celebrates the natural beauty of Mokauea and Ke‘ehi Lagoon, promotes engagement, is environmentally and culturally sensitive. Using a combination of performative design interventions and the creation of various platforms to support education and awareness, the Water Network Experience embraces sea level rise while integrating within the physical and cultural community, using a 21st century approach to the translation or interpretation of the past and the anticipation of future scenario, extending historic cultural knowledge to future generations. The Water Network Experience while derivative of the current efforts to preserve or revitalize Mokauea, and shaped by the understanding of sense of place, has the potential to be further investigated, implemented and replicated along the coastlines of Hawaii and throughout the world.