An exploration into deception as a mechanism to preserve memory

Vienna is a city of distorted memories, myths and monuments. The historic centre is rich in its architectural assemblage, embedded amongst layers of theatricality and illusion, creating idealised realities and glorified pasts. This thesis resonates with the deception and trickery engrained within the city, its architecture and its artefacts.

The trickery is first examined through a mosaic copy of the Last Supper, residing within the Minoritenkirche, the location of topographical exploration within this thesis. The replica epitomises the key themes of this thesis, an act of deceit. Perhaps more original than what remains of the fresco today, its unfaded colours are more analogous to Leonardo da Vinci’s intent than what now remains. Its mosaic composition extends to the Minoritenkirche itself, which has undergone a series of ritualistic additions since its foundations were first laid in 1276 as part of the Franciscan monastery.

It already exists as a combined work, yet additions have stagnated since 1906 reflecting current attitudes toward historic preservation. As outlined by Alois Riegl ‘distortions and partial disintegrations are disturbing, unwelcome ingredients for historic value’ inhibiting the progression of future decay. The memory of the church is hence frozen in a singular temporal point, presenting an illusory depiction of the past. It is a pathological monument, isolated and enclosed within the square.

This proposal seeks to elevate the Minoritenkirche to a propelling monument utilising the replica mosaic as precedent, engaging with the trickery embedded within its monumentality. A series of additions are proposed which engage with the precession of simulacra identified by Jean Baudrillard to create a landscape where images precede reality. It creates a destination for art and cultural pilgrimage exhibiting artefacts which oscillate between real and replica, to become a monument to architectural deceit. It enters a territory which fluctuates between real and illusion, where the replica takes preference over the original and the illusion obscures an objective reality.