The main theme of the project is the protection of the cultural landscape through the representations of historical agriculture practice in Fajã de São João, Azores. “Persistence” could be nuanced as emphasizing occurrences in the past. The concept of “Persistent Landscape” came from Manuel DeLanda(1992), he provided a unique perspective about the cultural imagination brought by the historic scene scrolls that have achieved the overall meaning of "landscape". As inspiration, I tend to focus on the “representation " of the scene in the past, which connects the imagined past and present. With the rebuilding of historical agricultural land, the rebuilding of traditional systems and the creation of experience facilities, I tend to achieve a “representation" of the past and lead to“persistence” of the locality. And also, the theories from Alain Roger(1997) in the Short Treatise on Landscape inspired my thinking about the human gaze and looking into the landscape as a cultural invention.
In the Concept of a Cultural Landscape, Nature, Culture and Agency of the Land (2014), Val Plumwoo pointed out that the cultural landscape is human-centred, opposite to the natural sciences reduction. Humans are the only creative agent responsible for the cultured land. It inspired me that the different elements on the land can be treated systematically. Therefore, focusing on the cultural landscape and human experience, my project also considers ecological issues, such as soil erosion and soil conservation, as well as the prevention and control of natural disasters such as landslides. From a heritage point of view, the project sets out the objectives of revitalizing agricultural activities and restoring cultural heritage and landscape values, while balancing ecological conservation. The project also demonstrates the preservation and research of ultra-peripheral areas, as well as local conservation and spiritual continuity, with global agenda implications.
