IMPRINT TO IMPACT: BOOKLET

IMPRINTTO IMPACT

Emilee Poehner

Capstone Studio LAND7010

Instructor: Barry Kew

PATTERN MAKING AND CRAFTING THE QUILT

CONCEPT STATMENT

The research of the 1960-1971 Cincinnati Radiation Experiments resulted in 120 individuals being exposed to unsolicited, extreme levels of radiations while under the impression that they were signing up for a new treatment to help cure or curb their cancer. I wanted to focus on telling the story of how these 120 different individuals had their lives unraveled yet intertwined as a result of the DOD’s testing. Documentation states that these individuals were exposed to radiation levels equal to 20,000 x-rays at once. One blast. One test. One lie that all ended with individuals and their loved ones’ lives being ripped apart for the gain of the DOD. Through my design I want to express this “blast” of radiation and the radial patterns it moves in. I want to have my design be simplistic yet bold, showing the connection of these 120 individuals. We can think of this unravelling/unwoven and woven aspects of the lives of the individuals and their families but also how this unraveled the health care industry, losing the trust of many individuals and necessitating the “weaving” back together of their trust. What happens to the strength and integrity of something or someone when that is unwoven?

“There is no safe amount of radiation. Even small amounts do harm“

-Linus Pauling

INSPIRATION

In the literal sense, "radiation" is harmful, but how can positive radiation impact the ways people connect to one another through vibrations running through the lands and running through the people? Is the power of connection and collective resiliency more powerful than the acts of a singular person or entity?

I wanted to explore how the integrity of something or someone can be destroyed by a singular action, yet how we can piece things back together to show strength and resiliency.

PATTERN LANGAUGE

Through my exploration of this experiment, I wanted to find a way to express both the physical and non-physical effects that this experiment had on its victims. I wanted to honor the victims and give them the space they deserved.

120lives:120lives: 120squares120squares

In order to illustrate 120 lives torn apart by this experiment, 120 white 4x4 square fabrics were used. As the DOD and hospital saw all these lives as "similar" under certain conditions and not needing to be identified, each of these white squares may appear similar at first glance, but when you examine each one, each life, you discover something unique. Each fabric was hand cut and hand sewn with a variety of textures, patterns, thicknesses of fabric, and subtle color hues.

PATTERN LANGAUGE

I wanted to show how this one experiment connected all 120 victims. To show this I used a red thread, which I unraveled by hand, to illustrate a physical representation of radiation by sewing it in radiating form from the base upwards. I hand embroidered victims’ initials radiating from the top downwards. During the victims’ time at the hospital, they were only referred to as their initials or a number associated with them. This dark part of the history needs to be shared, but I wanted to explore how it can be shown in a disheveled fashion, to illustrate their identity being ripped from them. I left parts of the red thread hanging from the quilt to represent what lingers with victims and their families. This is meant to pose the question, what is left behind once the damage is done and what is still remaining?

COLORPALETTE ANDMATERIALS

Monochromatic color palate was deliberately chosen to be bold and impactful while allowing the quilt to speak for itself and not distract from the story it is telling. Red yarn, red silk, and red vinyl lettering were used for different aspects of the quilt. While gold thread was only used on the victims initials

PROCESS

Fabric Selection Quilt Layout Cutting Fabrics

Choosing 120 different white materials and sizing them to fit together.

Finding a layout that was reasonable and fit the size requirements.

Hand cutting each piece of fabric to 4x4" and leaving a 1/4" seam allowance for each square

Sewing Top Layer Embroidery Initials Red Connection

Hand sewing each square in rows of 10 and then sewing rows together 2 at a time.

Hand initialsembroidering of victims into the squares.

Unraveling red thread from existing fabric to create long pieces of thread to connect to squares

PROCESS

Cutting Boarder Printing NamesCricut Ironing Names

Cutting red silk for boarder of quilt. Making sure it is large enough to fit the names of the 70 formally identified victims.

Adding Batting & Backing

Adding a fluffy batting for the middle and placing a plain white fabric on the back

Printing and cutting out names of victims from Cricut Program

Adding Boarder

Placing red silk boarder with imprinted names around the quilt to create the boarder

Placing names at equal spacing and imprinting each name into the frabic

Adding Charms

Adding gold letter charms to the hanging pieces of red thread to illustrate the ripping of identity from victims

FinalProduct

IMPRINTTO IMPACTING THE LANDSCAPE

LETTEROF INTENT

I am writing to express my heartfelt commitment and enthusiasm to collaborate on the memorial landscape architecture site design project at UC Health Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio dedicated to the patients, families, and health care staff who suffered from the 1960-1972 Radioactive Testing. Having carefully reviewed the project I recognize the significance of creating a meaningful and serene memorial space that can serve the immediate audiences at the location but also serve as an educational space for the surrounding communities and health care industry. I am eager to contribute my expertise and passion for landscape architecture to this important endeavor of improving the existing memorial site. The design of this memorial landscape holds profound importance, not only as a place of remembrance but as a testament to the strength and solidarity of the affected individuals and the community as a whole. My commitment to creating spaces that promote healing, comfort, and remembrance aligns with the objectives of this project. I am confident that my skills, creativity, and dedication to the history of this project makes me an ideal candidate to lead the design process for the memorial landscape at UC Health Hospital.

Key elements that I envision incorporating into the design include:

Holistic Healing Environment: Designing a space that fosters a sense of peace and tranquility, promoting emotional well-being and healing for patients, families, and hospital staff.

Symbolic Elements: Integrating meaningful symbols and features that resonate with the hospital's values and the community, creating a space that serves as a lasting tribute to those who have been affected by the 1960-1972 Radioactive Testing.

Sustainable Design: Implementing environmentally conscious and sustainable design principles to ensure the longevity and resilience of the memorial landscape.

Inclusivity and Accessibility: Ensuring that the design is accessible to all individuals, regardless of physical abilities, and accommodating diverse cultural and religious perspectives to bridge the gap of the 3 surrounding hospitals and the surrounding communities.

Educational and Reflective Elements: Incorporating elements that educate visitors about the impact of unsolicited radioactive testing and serve as a reflective space for contemplation and understanding.

I am inspired by the opportunity to contribute to the creation of a memorial landscape that not only honors the legacy of families affected but also serves as a source of solace and inspiration for all who encounter it. My dedication to creating spaces that embody empathy, dignity, and healing aligns with the project statement to create a meaningful landscape memorial.

Thank you for considering my letter of intent. I look forward to the possibility of discussing this project further and collaborating with UC Health Hospital to bring this vision to life.

NEIGHBORHOOD OVERVIEW

The neighborhood of Corryville is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, east of the University of Cincinnati’s Main Campus. Corryville is the 29th largest neighborhood, with a population of 4,515 people (2020 U.S. Census). Compared to the rest of Cincinnati’s population density, Corryville has 10,377 people per square mile, while Cincinnati has 3,962 people per square mile. 91.9% of residents in the area are renters, while 8.1% own their homes, with the median age of residents being 18-25. However, 56.1% of residents in Corryville currently live in poverty, being ranked 5th compared to other Cincinnati Neighborhoods. Corryville is home to 281 businesses employing over 8,500 people. Only 14.6% of Corryville is covered by tree canopy. Corryville has been identified to have “average” walkability with 31% of residents walking or using public transportation to get to work. Corryville has been ranked as “very high” exposure to cancer and respiratory diseases due to air toxins, with exposure to ozone and diesel particulate matter.

Hydrology

The runoff water in Corryville originates from 71% of the neighborhood being covered in impervious surfaces. The area has an annual rainfall of roughly 42.24 inches with 356 million gallons of water entering Corryville yearly.

Cagis neighborhood map

Rhino base map

EXISTINGCONDITIONS

Google Earth Image illustrating main road access with site on the right.

Rhino Model with building in red and contour base. Site is located with pin.

Rhino Model with just contours. Site is located with pin.

EXISTINGCONDITIONS

Rhino Model with building in red. Site is located with pin.

Rhino Model with building in red and hydrology movement in white. Site is located with pin.

DESIGNFOCUS: PRELIMINARY

Through my design I hope to keep a focus on representing physical forms of radiation through the landscape. Through radiation, connections and impacts can be made to extending parts of the neighborhood and give a sense of reaching out to other parts of the surrounding landscapes and communities. I hope to explore how “imprinting” can be shown through the landscape in forms of leaving visible and non-visible traces, as there are visible and non-visible parts of this story that linger in history that need to be brought to life. How can the role of transparency be used as a reminder to the hospital staff, while giving space for all victims’ stories to come to light and be told. As we have heard from families there was once a stable foundation figure in their family and through these experiments this has been shattered and that foundation has been weakened. Can the landscape serve as a palette to show this cracking of a foundation? Or does the landscape serve the purpose of bridging these cracks and represent the connecting of the individual lives through this experiment?

EXPLORINGFORM

Exploring different forms of radiation and shattering that can be represented in the landscape by the use of foliage and hardscape

IMPRINTING THE LANDSCAPE

Through my exploration of this experiment, I wanted to find a way to express both the physical and non-physical effects that this experiment had on its victims. I wanted to honor the victims and give them the space they deserved. As their lives were altered from this experiment, we must ask ourselves. how can we imprint the landscape to tell their story?

Liangxiang Design : 2011

Lick Run Greenway

PUNTURCHING THE LANDSCAPE

Through my exploration of the landscape and finding parts of the experiment to showcase, I wanted to explore how vertical radiation can also be achieved. How can we use the above and below to tell this story. With the surrounding buildings there will be a hierarchy to the landscape and their positioning in the design will determine their views and interactions with the landscape.

Illustratinghow foliagecanbe usedtopuncture thelandscape

Illustration showingheigh hierarchyin buildingto exposureofsite

RIPPING APART THE LANDSCAPE

120lives:120lives: 120squares120squares

Equaldistributionandripping

Outwarddistribution

Inwarddistribution

random distributionand dispersion

POTENTIAL PROGRAMS

Holistic Healing Environment: Designing a space that fosters a sense of peace and tranquility, promoting emotional well-being and healing for patients, families, and hospital staff.

Symbolic Elements: Integrating meaningful symbols and features that resonate with the hospital's values and the community, creating a space that serves as a lasting tribute to those who have been affected by the 1960-1972 Radioactive Testing.

Sustainable Design: Implementing environmentally conscious and sustainable design principles to ensure the longevity and resilience of the memorial landscape.

Inclusivity and Accessibility: Ensuring that the design is accessible to all individuals, regardless of physical abilities, and accommodating diverse cultural and religious perspectives bridging the gap of the 3 surrounding hospitals and the surrounding communities.

Educational and Reflective Elements: Incorporating elements that educate visitors about the impact of unsolicited radioactive testing and serve as a reflective space for contemplation and understanding.

EXPLORING DIFFERNTMEDIA FORMS

PRECEDENTS

A Growing Street Museum: University Road, Huaxiba

Use of water and imprintng

Bunurong Memorial Park Signage

Use of water and vertical imprinting

Stairway to Heaven Memorial

Use of vertical radiation

Inward radiation and imprinting on walls

Arbor Memorial Earthquake Memorial Hall and Relics Park in Longtou mountain Town

Outward radiation

Memorial of Victims of Communism

Inward radiation and vertical radiation

DESIGNFOCUS: FINALDESIGN

The research of the 1960-1971 Cincinnati Radiation Experiments resulted in 120 individuals being exposed to unsolicited, extreme levels of radiations while under the impression that they were signing up for a new treatment to help cure or curb their cancer. I wanted to focus on telling the story of how these 120 different individuals had their lives unraveled yet intertwined as a result of the DOD’s testing. Documentation states that these individuals were exposed to radiation levels equal to 20,000 x-rays at once. One blast. One test. One lie that all ended with individuals and their loved ones’ lives being ripped apart for the gain of the DOD. Through my design I want to express this “blast” of radiation and the radial patterns it moves in. My design will be simplistic yet bold, showing the connection of these 120 individuals. We can think of this unravelling/unwoven and woven aspects of the lives of the individuals and their families but also how this unraveled the health care industry, losing the trust of many individuals and necessitating the “weaving” back together of their trust. What happens to the strength and integrity of something or someone when that is unwoven? By embodying this history and intention into a publicly accessible memorial site, community members can actively reflect on and engage with the history as well as pay respects to those whose lives were affected. By placing this memorial in a public and heavily traveled area, my intention is to encourage passersby to first be enticed into the space based on the visual appeal and tranquil nature of the space. After entering the space, viewers will then have an opportunity to interact with the memorial elements such as the name and history plaques, water feature, and memorial sculpture. By creating a visually appealing space that provides both walking paths and spaces for relaxation, the hope is to spur meaningful reflection and interpretation of the memorial elements. This site functions as a longstanding and continual reminder to the community of the history that unfolded during these experiences as well as a means for the victims’ stories to not be forgotten and to give life through the flora and fauna that will thrive in the site.

FINDING COMMON GROUND

FINDING CONNECTIONS

SITE ANALYSIS

EXISTING SITE OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES TO UTILIZE EXISITING SPACES TRANSFORMING THEM INTO GATHERING SPACES AND CREATE PATHWAYS TO TELL THE HISTORY THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE

GRADINGPLAN

New grading plan utilizes existing contours to create pathways allowing visitors to be “hidden” beneath the grade on the left side and be above the grade on the right side of the site.. New contour plan transforms landscape to allow for open gathering space in the middle of the site.

MASTERPLAN

ALBERTSABINWAY

EDEN AVE UNIVERSITYOF

MASTERPLAN

ALBERTSABINWAY

PLANTINGPLAN

1:16TH PLANTING PLAN

RENDERED PLANTING PLAN

PLANTINGPLAN

PLANTING PLAN

RENDERED PLANTING PLAN

RENDERED VIEWS

RENDERED VIEWS

RENDERED VIEWS

RENDERED VIEWS

RENDERED VIEWS

MODEL

Made from 11 sewing hooks to represent the 11 years of the radiation experiments, symbolizing the restitching of the lives and history being told today.

Appendix

https://greenvalues.cnt.org/index.php#calculate

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8Q5SXoVpFjP3Vutimm1EgA

https://www.oilpaintersofamerica.com/2018/02/strengtheningdepth-using-radiating-line/

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/vl2AUX2OXspLq4SN5ee5Bw

https://www.arbormemorial.ca/en/resources/blog/what-ismemorialization-at-a-cemetery.html

https://www.archdaily.com/924959/earthquake-memorialhall-and-relics-park-in-longtou-mountain-town-huaxia-

architects-studio?ad_medium=gallery

https://newpathway.ca/team-moskaliuk-offers-design-memorial-victimscommunism/

https://landarch.org/health-employee-memorial-park-competition-projectankara/

https://www.aspect-studios.com/projects/bunurong-memorial-park