Reframing the ruin : reinterpreting a Bakoni site through experimental preservation

Abstract

Located just south of Mashishing (Lydenburg), this project centres around a cluster of Late Iron Age ruins left by the Koni, who are a pre-colonial agro-pastoral society that shaped the Mpumalanga escarpment with extensive terraced landscapes and circular stone-walled settlements. Positioned on a site with varying degrees of stone ruin condition, this project aims to transform these remains into a productive interpretation centre and archive, narrating a story of harmonious interaction between people, landscape, and livestock.

Currently, the general public remains unaware of the origins of these ruins, making this project a platform for public archaeology through collaboration between Mashishing community members, other locals, tourists and archaeologists to reframe their understanding and explore the significance of this heritage. Through its focus on the considered reactivation of these ruins, the project enhances Mashishing’s cultural identity while supporting sustainable ecotourism, responding to the disruption caused by a road that fragments one of the ruin homesteads, and subsequently aiding in the future protection of these historic sites. With an integrated program that includes an artefact archive, a small-scale dairy with traditional sour milk processing (amasi/mafi), an eatery, and a communal pottery workshop, the site embodies circularity as dairy products are created and fermented in locally crafted clay pots, connecting service and production in a closed loop, reflective of past site use. Importantly, this workshop provides members of the Mashishing community—some of whom are active potters—a dedicated space to share and showcase their craft with others, creating a cultural exchange that benefits heritage preservation.

This space is designed to attract tourists, students, archaeologists, museum curators, farmers and members of the Mashishing community, creating a strong tourism node between major attractions like Dullstroom and the Kruger National Park.

The architectural approach embraces three core concepts: memorialisation, re-signification, and reframing. Memorialisation subtly reinforces lower-significance ruins using earthen berms, paying homage to their historical context. Re-signification emphasises high-significance ruins with minimalist boundary markers, while reframing uses framed views and programmatic prompts to offer intimate, reflective engagement with selected ruins. By blending contemporary and traditional construction techniques with a focus on reversible construction, the project facilitates sensitive re-inhabitation, positioning Bakoni heritage as a driver of cultural and ecological development.