In 2007, Association Inscrire was invited by Geoff Wood to participate in a shortlisted competition organized in Wales by the City of Holyhead and the Wales region. Considering the importance of the location, the Holyhead harbor, and the greatness of the project we invited the architectural firm Seraji to become our partner. The competition was to create a Landmark in the Harbor to regenerate the small city with activities specifically oriented to the travelers. We propose to create an imaginary and floating surreal-world.

Our proposal inscribes itself in the old tradition of landscaping or landscape painting which has a legacy in all civilizations. It is also inscribed itself in the tradition of dialogue between the land and the sea, the town and the sea, by creating a new scenery which will allow Holyhead to regain its waterfront.

We propose to create a new place by building an artificial floating surface on top of the water and slightly moving with the waves. This floating new territory will establish a new relationship with the existing docks, the bridges, the train station, and with the future development of the Inner Harbour Area.

Our design is based on Lewis Carrol and the oniric stories that used to tell Alice in his Wales’ vacation house. The project of a floating island is directly inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

The topography of the island will represent in miniature, the geography of Wales: the coastline, the towns, the mountains, the paths…The construction of this singular half real and half imaginary topographical territory should contribute to attracting people and investors to the economic revitalization of the waterfront of the Holyhead.

Artistically and architecturally we propose to position ourselves between the cartography and the emotional expression produced by the natural beauty of Wales. We hope to use fragments of its soul and secret wonders to construct portraits or Welsh landscapes.

In Wales, people only need to look and observe, to enter into this sur-reality and attain something far and obscure, something profound, an enchantment, an initiatory crossing, arriving, landing, looking, discovering, walking, living in this almost supernatural reality of a still virgin country, which is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe.

Our project will be a new Landmark.
It will Mark the Land
It will express the Land
It will represent the Land of Wales

Atelier Seraji, architect
Nils Le Bot, architect
Buro Happold structural engineer
Neveux-Rouyer landscape designer
Davis Langdon economy
Working-parts, artis in public places

City of Holyhead
Living Landmarks funding
Landmark Wales
Strategic Steering Group
Regional Strategy Direction
Capital Region Tourism (CRT)
The Big Lottery Funds