Exhibition on Charisse

Satellite Town

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Satellite Town illustrates a future of ecological living beyond the limits of the Earth.

In a research community living in a satellite orbiting the Moon, distinct notions of self-sufficiency and sustainability are explored, each with a distinct color palette. The Forest depicts the distinctive pink glow of high intensity LEDs for crop growth; The Street imagines an underpass with bioluminescent mycelium pavements that generate electricity from footsteps; The Chapel depicts a zero-gravity projection room featuring an endless sunset against distant planets. Bringing a familiar urban concept back to its original imaginative meaning, Satellite Town magnifies the architectural notions of interior and exterior, self-sufficiency and interdependence.

The Monument to the Labors

Sun, 22 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

The Monument to the Labors tells an architectural fable in outer space.

Narrated dispassionately, The Monument to the Labors imagines a future that has already been translated into history. In this recasting of the pioneer narrative, the first settlers of space are not merely brave explorers but also condemned convicts. Centering around alienation and the implications of denying humanity to the other, the story simultaneously charts the lifespan of a building: a satellite, prison, laboratory, factory, town, tomb, billboard, attraction, and symbol. These two narratives tie the privilege of dreaming to the costs of experimentation. The utopian possibilities of outer space, the great unknown, are not only the fantasies of the privileged, but also the desperate hope of the marginalized.

The Art of Memory

Mon, 09 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Overview

Historic preservation is often a dry topic, with a large focus on regulations and conservation. Here, we take an experimental approach towards preservation, investigating architectural memory through travel, documentation, and speculative drawings.

The Art of Memory was a collaboration with Yichen Jia, made possible by the 2018-2019 Robert James Eidlitz Travel Fellowship. It was exhibited in NYC and MIT, and published in book form.

What does it mean to remember?

Sited in four Italian towns that have been indelibly changed by natural disasters, this project explores the notion of architectural memory. Across Pompeii, Catania, Poggioreale, and Gibellina, each town embodies a unique approach towards destruction and preservation. The ‘perfectly’ preserved ruins of Pompeii are set against the bustling capital of Catania, the ghost town of Poggioreale, and the crumbling modernist art installations of Gibellina.