AGOG presents: Speculative Futures in the Golden Triangle

“Speculative Futures in the Golden Triangle” examines the layered histories, landscapes, and narratives of a region defined by its evolving identity as a corridor, a resource, and a destination. Centered on the Golden Triangle—where Alberta and British Columbia meet along the Trans-Canada Highway—the exhibit explores how tourism, local industry, infrastructure, and ecosystems interact within this iconic environment.

Through phenomenological approaches, the works investigate the complex relationships between the region’s economic drivers, cultural heritage, and ecological sustainability. From unconventional roadside attractions to reflective meditations on resource extraction, these designs grapple with questions of authenticity, identity, and the uncertainty of the future. Are the goals of local industries and environmental preservation inherently at odds, or can they forge a path forward together?

Themes of mythology, absurdity, reclamation, and coexistence weave throughout the exhibit, inviting viewers to reconsider how they engage with these landscapes. Featuring a diverse range of media—including architectural drawings, speculative installations, box constructions, and short films—the exhibition offers a balanced exploration of the Golden Triangle’s layered identity.

Each piece seeks to provoke thought, spark dialogue, and challenge conventional narratives about this storied region. Together, these works frame the Golden Triangle as a place of profound beauty and complexity, urging us to imagine futures where landscapes, communities, and industries thrive in harmony as shared legacies.

This exhibition emerges from the Fall 2024 Regional Landscape Systems Studio taught by Associate Professor Kris Fox at the University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL). Students explored the Golden Triangle through a lens of critical inquiry, speculation, and design innovation, guided by SAPL’s commitment to addressing contemporary challenges through interdisciplinary approaches. The studio encouraged participants to balance the region’s ecological, cultural, and economic tensions, pushing the boundaries of landscape architecture to propose visionary futures for this dynamic and contested environment.