“As historical site of first contact; place of immigration and a tourism destination, Sydney Cove is a key interface between Australia and the world. In 1789 a smallpox epidemic was inoculated via the First Fleet’s arrival causing the death of an estimated 70% of the aboriginal population in Sydney.
On 19th of March 2020 the 290mt long cruise-ship “Ruby Princess” docked in the Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT) at 11:00 am, delivering 2700 passengers. 662 individuals tested positive for COVID-19, comprising 10% of the infections in Australia, triggering a pandemic.
The OPT and its related cruise ship industry have become a symbol of the pandemic spread in Australia, a capitulation to private profit and interest over the public good. Our proposal aims to return this space to the public, ceasing mass tourism activity; re-designing the shoreline and submerging the existing structure of the terminal as a landscape memorial to the pandemic.”
