THOMAS COLE HOUSE

CRITIC: MATHEW LOPEZ DIGITAL CONSTRUCTS 3 FALL 2022

The Thomas Cole site is often photographed during spring and summer months when the grass is green, the flowers are blooming, and the sky is clear. This creates a very specific and curated narrative about the site. Its managers want to evoke emphasize the site’s connection to nature and invite visitors to participate in it. But what if this narrative changed? What pictures would be taken then?

This project aims to tell a different story about the Thomas Cole site. The site is viewed under the moon instead of the shinning sun, clear skies are replaced with rain and fog, and flowering greenery is replaced with the dying leaves of autumn. Now when one looks off the porch, the Catskill Mountains are shrouded by the environment. A faceted metal facade is placed on the back elevation, breaking building’s historic continuity, making one question its history. The narrative changes, and so does the audience.