Maxime St. Pierre Ostrander ’20 MArch Columbia GSAPP

MAXIME ST. PIERRE OSTRANDER

PORTFOLIO

DESIGN STUDIOS INTRINSIC EXCHANGES: DJERBA ELDORADO FLUTUANTE: MANAUS RIGHT TO THE RIGHT-OF-WAY: NEWBURGH GENERATIONAL LINKAGES: THE BRONX INCLINATION OF INSTRUCTION: DUMBO HYDRAULIC CONNECTION, 14TH STREET PIER: MANHATTAN

SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS PASTA ALLA ROCKITE LANDSCAPES OF EXTRACTION: COLONIALISM IN THE 1ST NATIONS SUMMER WORKSHOP SALEJ - BARAKAT GALLERY: BEIRUT DRAWING PALMYRA, DIGITAL RECONSTRUCTIONS

INTRINSIC EXCHANGES: DJERBA

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Partner: Sara Almutlaq Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba Fall, 2019 STUDIO DRAWN MAP OF DJERBA, COMPRISED OF LAYERS OF HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine

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Exploratory Landscape: We began this process by drawing an exploratory landscape, based in Djerba but connecting to international actors. The drawing begins at the human scale and understanding the historical methods of clay extraction and production and their inherent laborious process, then shifts to the olive, examining at the island scale the intrinsic economic entanglements embodied in this agricultural industry. Moving in scales across new buildings and olive oil production facilities on the island and finally to Italy, Spain and the International Olive Council, the global governing body that oversees the certification process of market-ready Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Three Actors (olive mill): The olive presses of Djerba are dynamic buildings. The exterior is public-facing. Comprised of numerous boxes that first hold the unprocessed olives and later bottles of olive oil. The interior is divided into three parts. Active production, oil processing, and rest. While the building may seem obvious each of these activities are inherent in the architecture, openings in the resting dome allow for

Sidi Yati Section & Plan: At the Sidi Yati site we start at sea level with the octopus fisher. Fresh olives are brought to the mosque and deposited in the cascading brick containers. A staircase up from this space leads to an expanded ground floor for the mosque in which an outdoor prayer area is provided above the press. The ablution area is revamped for Sidi Yati mosque, sourcing water from its unused water reserve.

We then manipulated the remainder of the construction material to create rammed earth enclaves for the storage of pots seen in section. Ramping up to the olive press the space becomes semi-enclosed, a necessity for olive oil production. The roofing system is made of brick arches with a terracotta flooring sourced from shattered pot material.

Seasonally Driven Phasing: This diagram in the following pages shows cycles of exchange, in earthen brick (fired and unfired), olive oil pomace for firing the kiln, or clay bi-product for plant growth.

Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba

Drawings:

airflow and cooling. A solid dome over the pressing area ensures climate control. A sunken, below-grade area in the center that unites both domes, keep the oil cool while the particles settle. The press buildings embody a living a micro-economy situated in the mutual exchange of three independent actors. The Mezel owner, the Ibadi camel herder, and the press owner. First, the Menzel owner cultivates the olives. A year-long process that only comes to fruition in November and lasts until February. Second, the Ibadi camel herder provides the camels that turn the press. Third, the press owner processes the olives provided and creates the oil. This method of historical economic exchange is the impetus for our project. Three seemingly independent groups tied together through the process of agricultural production at the community scale.

Clay Section & Plan: The projects begins 30 feet below grade with a clay tunnel and an open-air work area. Once the clay is extracted from this lower datum it needs to be worked, usually by stomping on it, and finally left outside to dry fully before being sifted and reconstituted. Drying and sifting happen on the bleacher like staircase that leads to the main workspace, a domed building constructed of concrete rings and beams.

Using brick as in-full over structure the intention is to use the building envelope as a materials bank, in the winter - low production season - the walls can be filled clay and thermally insulate the space, during the high season clay, is taken from the shell to perforate the wall and allow air in.

The nested domes, starting with the interior kiln, followed by the perforated dome is used to trap heat and keep the building comfortable in the winter. Outside the building we see the exchange of materials, olive pellets and pomace arrive by a cart while clay products leave. Moving material from underground, through the walls, the kiln and finally to Mosque.

Fall, 2019

Site: Djerba, Tunisia. This small island in the south of the country has a rich history of olive oil production, dating to pre-roman times, and clay production. During the antique era pottery from this small island could be found throughout the Roman empire, known for its durability and fine quality. In recent decades the island, like many in the southern Mediterranean, have undergone an economic shift in favor of tourism over agriculture and artisan craft. This shift in economies has been compounded by a new global desire for Tunisian olive oil, following the now infamous Italian Olive Oil Scandal in 2015. The project seeks to double-down on the existing agriculture economy.

We seek to create an economic system by which these two seemingly divergent economies, olive oil and pottery, are linked and can bolster each-others growth through this connection. Through two interventions, one in a part of the island famous for its clay, and another beside a mosque in the olive fields, we create a ‘transect of operation’ by which these economies trade, grow, and hopefully remain for generations to come.

Partner: Sara Almutlaq

Intrinsic Exchanges

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine

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Partner: Sara Almutlaq Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba Fall, 2019 EXPLORATORY LANDSCAPE, MAPPING THE OLIVE TRADE

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine

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THREE ACTORS, AXONOMETRIC

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine 5

Fall, 2019

Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba

Partner: Sara Almutlaq

Partner: Sara Almutlaq Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba Fall, 2019 SEASONALLY DRIVEN PROJECT PHASING TIME-LINE

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine

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Fall, 2019

Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba

Partner: Sara Almutlaq

We identified a unique condition in the south of the island that extends from the clay faults in the north, to the fisherman mosque Sidi Yati, in the south. Binding these two sites is a 30 minute foot path that traverses a semi-urban area, a part of the town of Ghullala. The community is active, as indicated by a lively mosque that lives along this footpath. Here lives a community of people that have a heritage of clay extraction and olive picking. The path ends with the Sidi Yati mosque, an abandoned coastal mosque that has the potential of activating both the coastline and the olive orchards around.

TRANSECT

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine

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CLAY SITE, SECTION

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine 8

Fall, 2019

Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba

Partner: Sara Almutlaq

CLAY SITE, PERSPECTIVES

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine 9

Fall, 2019

Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba

Partner: Sara Almutlaq

CLAY SITE, PLAN

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine 10

Fall, 2019

Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba

Partner: Sara Almutlaq

Partner: Sara Almutlaq Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba Fall, 2019 SIDI YATI MOSQUE SITE, AXONOMETRIC

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine

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SIDI YATI MOSQUE SITE, SECTION

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine 12

Fall, 2019

Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba

Partner: Sara Almutlaq

Partner: Sara Almutlaq Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba Fall, 2019 SIDI YATI MOSQUE SITE, PERSPECTIVES

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine

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Partner: Sara Almutlaq Intrinsic Exchanges: Djerba Fall, 2019 SIDI YATI MOSQUE SITE, 1ST AND 2ND FLOOR PLANS

Studio: Ziad Jamaleddine

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ELDORADO FLUTUANTE

While the Serra Pelada mine may have closed, the mining industry remained strong. Legal sites of extraction like Serra Pelada, often near trains and semi-urban areas have been supplanted by smaller sites that operate outside of the law and under the canopy of the jungle. The size of the jungle and lack of satellite imagery makes the job of the government regulators nearly impossible. In most cases the illegal mining operations are found, by accident, by people who live in the jungle. Seen here is a government regulator with a heavily armed indigenous tribe as they track down an illegal mining camp.

As miners exhaust the easily available gold deposits they are moving further and further into the jungle. Mercury is most commonly used by small scale artisanal miners because of how efficient the chemical is in dislocating gold dust from the host rocks. When earth is removed it is washed with water and mercury. This chemical slurry is then disposed of either in the ground or the river leaving

Eldorado Flutuante attempts to critically rethink the violent dynamics of gold mining. We engage with the industry’s current infrastructural networks and extractive processes in the Amazon Basin, focusing specifically on mineral transport and the associated down-stream human and ecological consequences. Our project reorientates gold mining towards more sustainable and humane ends by using nontoxic mining and immediate reforestation while promising vital resources and improved living conditions for the workers.

Contrasting traditional mining towns, we occupy the river, assembling the pieces from our catalog into a floating machine. Radiating from a central square, barges and bridges connect various floating programs. This assembly is made of 11 different barges, each home to a unique program ranging from housing to eating to a greenhouse.

Scale and program is entirely adaptable, and able to reorganize in response to site and adopt or dismiss barges as programmatic needs change.

The Square: The human need for leisure activities persists, even in the jungle. Here we show a small canteen and bar, across from a small retail stall where provisions and medicine can be bought. Additionally a raised platform in the corner allows for spiritual and other programs. The larger enclosed room houses a secure hold safe as theft remains a constant reality, additionally there is space that can be occupied by a visiting doctor or educator.

Dormitory Housing: Using the sidewalls of the disposed containers as walls and roofs we created a series of perforations to allow for natural ventilation. The oversized and angled roof plays two parts, solar power generation and water collection. Each floating block can house 7 residents who share a kitchen, bathroom and leisure facilities on the covered roof. Each bathroom is fitted with a composting toilet.

Eldorado Flutuante

Throughout Brazilian history there have been numerous repetitive moments of El Dorado. A famous modern case is the massive rush of people and resources to the Serra Pelada mine in the state of Para. Discovered in 1979, within 5 weeks there were as many as 10,000 miners laboring to move the golden laiden mountain, which topped out at just over 120 meters. Soon there were 50,000 miners working daily. By the time the mine was closed in 1986 the mountain had been turned into a hole, neary 120 meters deep and approximately 360 tons of gold had been removed from the pit. Worth billions. While this may be one of the most dramatic examples of mineral extraction in Brazil, it does go to say that the idea of El Dorado never died. Gold mining, introduced by early European invaders, has taken a hold in the constructed imagery of the jungle, with the next Serra Palada awaiting its prospector.

only the gold in the miners bucket or pan.

Drawings: Composite Map, Network Gold: We created an abstract mapped landscape showing all the actors and elements of the Brazilian gold mining industry.

The permanent towns like Cuiu Cuiu are juxtaposed to mobile mining camps and indigenous villages. Gold related industry pollutes the river, which leads to the international port of Manaus, where illegal gold enters the global market, its provenance erased. Now the mineral is sold as jewelry and technology, but mostly, is stored in the strategic gold stockpiles of European nations.

Green House: Waste from the floating machine is brought to the greenhouse for composting and filtering. Compost generates the fertilizer necessary for the crops grown. The greenhouse also collects water from the river and purifies it through a series of activated carbon filters. The water is used to irrigate numerous crops, some for food consumption, but most importantly to nurse the young trees that will be used in the reclamation efforts of the mining operation once they leave this land.

Spring, 2020

Eldorado Flutuante examines how colonial histories and modern consumer appetites have fostered a neo-colonial history of material extraction in the Brazilian Amazon. Our project seeks to mitigate the deleterious attitude projected onto the jungle by reimagining the relationship between miner and mined. El Dorado Flutuante acknowledges the economic incentives placed unto the artisanal miners in Amazonia and seeks to re-establish this correlation through fluid interventions in the Amazon.

Partner: Hector Garcia

Eldorado Flutuante

Studio: Pedro Rivera

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COMPOSITE MAP

Studio: Pedro Rivera 17

Spring, 2020

Eldorado Flutuante

Partner: Hector Garcia

GREENHOUSE: PLAN & SECTION

Studio: Pedro Rivera 18

Spring, 2020

Eldorado Flutuante

Partner: Hector Garcia

THE SQUARE: PLAN & SECTION

Studio: Pedro Rivera 19

Spring, 2020

Eldorado Flutuante

Partner: Hector Garcia

DORM HOUSING:PLAN & SECTION

Studio: Pedro Rivera 20

Spring, 2020

Eldorado Flutuante

Partner: Hector Garcia

PERSPECTIVES

Spring, 2020

Green House

Studio: Pedro Rivera 21

Eldorado Flutuante

Partner: Hector Garcia

MASTER PLAN

Studio: Pedro Rivera 22

Spring, 2020

Eldorado Flutuante

Partner: Hector Garcia

ASSEMBLED BARGES, AXONOMETRIC

Studio: Pedro Rivera 23

Spring, 2020

Eldorado Flutuante

Partner: Hector Garcia

FRAMES FROM VIDEO

Studio: Pedro Rivera 24

Spring, 2020

Eldorado Flutuante

Partner: Hector Garcia

PERSPECTIVE OF MINING SITE

PERSPECTIVE OF FLOATING ASSEMBLAGE

RIGHT TO THE RIGHT-OF-WAY: NEWBURGH

Partner: Frank Mandell

Right to the Right-of-Way

Drawings: Powering Up Pollinators: A small lab and outpost for visiting entomologists. The lab provides a view into the habitat created by the electrical corridor condition. We envision the lab as both a place of study and dormitory, but also a place to allow for maintenance and further creation of pollinator habitats inside the ROW. These outposts are located at spots along the ROW where bees and other pollinators can easily fly to local farms and agricultural areas. The solitary bee, which comprises seventy percent of the bee species, can fly up to six miles per day in search of food. We envision a future where local, Hudson valley farms, will no longer have to rely on commercially sourced, trucked in bees, to pollinate their crops. Rather the pollinators occupying the ROW can perform that much needed duty.

funding, and education of these towers and the non-human inhabitants that will come to occupy the spaces.

Electro-Horticulture Laboratory: In addition to allowing for deer crossing (as the power lines are brought below ground) , the lab allows further study the unique flora and fauna conditio n of the ROW, we imagine creating a laboratory to exploit the fertilizer effect of electrify on plants. When exposed to electricity, plants tend to open up a system in their roots that allows them to absorb more water. This is believed to be a natural response to the electrified air often created before large storms. Plants can sense the electricity in the air and react accordingly. By stimulating the soil with electricity, the flora above ground will grow more wild and extreme, furthering the stage condition that allows for pollinators to thrive.

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Situated in Electrical Right-of-Way J311 in Newburgh, N Y the project aim to re-frame the relationship with the power utility and the residents who leave near or under the power lines. As it stands the electrical authority, Central Hudson, has acquired all the land under the power lines through a series of easement negotiations. Under the current framework access to the area under the power lines is restricted to only allow maintenance professionals in. Our project proposes changing the current easement strategy and allowing environmental and social actors into the spaces below. Following this legislative change we propose three environmental actors. Powering up Pollinators, The Electric Avian Alliance, and Electric Horticulture Lab. We envision a future in which the easements placed on the site by the electrical authority of the Hudson Valley are amended to allow for ecological actors to condition the site in tandem with the electrical forces currently being applied.

Compostite Site Plan: In order to draw the 26 mile site we had to create a composite site plan, stitching together multiple ecologies and ground conditions.

Each site is selected based on its proximity to its ecological needs. Focusing on bees and other pollinators requires a heavily wooded area, but still close to agricultural centers.

Through this kind of location selection both the bees and the neighboring farmers stand to gain.

The drawing final plotted drawing was 10’ x 3’.

Spring, 2019

The Newburgh Avian Alliance: Following the yearly scheduled maintenance necessary for high-voltage. The avian alliance slowly begins to change the towers from purely transmitting electricity to allowing for human occupation and bird nesting. By allowing people into the ROW the current condition of illegality erodes. The bird houses, which are installed as the tower changes program, slowly house more and more birds, until the tower relationship shifts away from human-tower, to bird-tower. The human occupation allows for construction, Studio: Nahyun Hwang

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SITE STUDY MAP

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 29

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

COMPOSITE SITE PLAN, PART 1 OF 3

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 30

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

COMPOSITE SITE PLAN, PART 2 OF 3

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 31

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

COMPOSITE SITE PLAN, PART 3 OF 3

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 32

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

POWERING UP POLLINATORS ,VIEWS

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 33

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

POWERING UP POLLINATORS , PLAN

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 34

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

POWERING UP POLLINATORS , SECTION

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 35

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

NEWBURGH AVIAN ALLIANCE, VIEWS

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 36

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

NEWBURGH AVIAN ALLIANCE, PLAN

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 37

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

NEWBURGH AVIAN ALLIANCE, SECTION

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 38

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

ELECTRO-HORTICULTURE LABORATORY, VIEWS

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 39

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

ELECTRO-HORTICULTURE LABORATORY, PLAN

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 40

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

ELECTRO-HORTICULTURE LABORATORY, SECTION

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 41

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

MODELS

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 42

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

MODELS, DETAILS

Studio: Nahyun Hwang 43

Spring, 2019

Right to the Right-of-Way: Newburgh

Partner: Frank Mandell

GENERATIONAL LINKAGES: THE BRONX

MODEL, DETAIL

Studio: Eric Bunge 45

Spring, 2020

Generational Linkages: The Bronx

Partner: Matteo Cordera

Partner: Matteo Cordera

Generational Linkages creates dispersed density be deploying a field of smaller, vertically ‘unit blocks’ throughout the site. Ideas of connectivity and community emerge through the meandering elevated pathways and interactions with nature. The unit blocks are comprised of two units and a central staircase that connects each unit both vertically and horizontally. This allows the floor plan to accommodate a vast open space that is flexible and can be used in different ways over time or with growing families.

Spring, 2020

Generational Linkages: The Bronx

Winter gardens are an addition to each unit and are placed in the exterior corridors, allowing the building circulation to react to the seasons, expanding in the summer and contracting in the winter

1ST FLOOR PLAN

Studio: Eric Bunge

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MODEL, DETAIL

Studio: Eric Bunge 47

Spring, 2020

Generational Linkages: The Bronx

Partner: Matteo Cordera

SECTION

Studio: Eric Bunge 48

Spring, 2020

Generational Linkages: The Bronx

Partner: Matteo Cordera

RENDERING AT DUSK

Studio: Eric Bunge 49

Spring, 2020

Generational Linkages: The Bronx

Partner: Matteo Cordera

BLOCK PLANS & GROUND FLOOR PLAN

Studio: Eric Bunge 50

Spring, 2020

Generational Linkages: The Bronx

Partner: Matteo Cordera

INTERIOR RENDERING

Studio: Eric Bunge 51

Spring, 2020

Generational Linkages: The Bronx

Partner: Matteo Cordera

ELEVATED LINKAGES RENDERING

Studio: Eric Bunge 52

Spring, 2020

Generational Linkages: The Bronx

Partner: Matteo Cordera

INCLINATIONS OF INSTRUCTION: DUMBO

Inclinations of Instruction

Spring, 2020

Inclinations of Instruction

Spring, 2018

This library design proposes the idea that given the opportunity, anybody can be a teacher and anybody can be a student. This is done by creates peaks and valleys of programmed spaces (classrooms, reading rooms, open work areas) and the space in between can be used as an impromptu classroom. Creating inflection in the floor always for people to take vantage points to lecture or teach and allows others to watch. These open multi-use spaces link the formally programmed areas of the library.

By stretching, pulling, and contributing level planes, moments on collision and tension occur. These moments of impact become the programmed spaces in the library, reading rooms, meeting rooms, and break-out spaces. The areas that remain in flux are circulatory spaces, encouraging people to meander about the spaces. Starting with the proto-design I explored ideas of vertical stacking and transparency. The resulting form was a layered stack of varying material and light densities. This created suggested spaces that were informed through inflexion of surface and used light as an aperture and barrier. Following this exploration came the massing stage of the project. Here I tried to rationalize the proposed spatial conditions of the proto building by rending the mass in concrete. The resultant design is the attempted synthesis between these two strategies.

PROTO-THESIS DRAWING

Studio: Benjamin Cadena

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AXONOMETRIC AND PLANS

Studio: Benjamin Cadena 55

Spring, 2020

Inclinations of Instruction

Spring, 2018

SECTION

Studio: Benjamin Cadena 56

Spring, 2020

Inclinations of Instruction

Spring, 2018

STREET LEVEL RENDER

Studio: Benjamin Cadena 57

Spring, 2020

Inclinations of Instruction

Spring, 2018

MODEL

Studio: Benjamin Cadena 58

Spring, 2020

Inclinations of Instruction

Spring, 2018

AQUATIC CONNECTION: MANHATTAN

Aquatic Connections: 14th Street Pier

Fall, 2017

This project attempts to remedy problems associated with transportation connectivity at the site scale. Currently, there is no bus, subway, and boat that connects this remote (oddly) part of the Eastern Manhattan. The park, however is rich in amenities, sports complexes dot the park way and bathrooms manifest in small but useful buildings. However, outside of sporting fields little has been constructed that offers harbor from the rain or cold.

Furthermore, the neighborhood and site remain unconnected to Brooklyn, which is meters away over the river, and only connected to Manhattan by foot and car traffic.

Spring, 2020

Aquatic Connections: 14th Street Pier

The project aim to use the East River a new connection for the neighborhood by tapping into the existing NYC Water Taxi network. In doing this the residents of the neighborhood and the park goers would have better access to New York. Adding a ferry terminal I also wanted to add covered place where people could grab a bite, enjoy a coffee, or wait for the taxi. This was done in the elevated dining area that connects both piers. The taller pier I think of as an observation area that is linked to the current running path and adds a short exertion to the path allowing people to meander over the river and continue on their way.

AXONOMETRIC OF PIER

Studio: Illias Papageorgiou

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MODEL, VIEW FROM RIVER

Studio: Illias Papageorgiou 61

Spring, 2020

Aquatic Connections: 14th Street Pier

Fall, 2017

MODEL, DETAILS

Studio: Illias Papageorgiou 62

Spring, 2020

Aquatic Connections: 14th Street Pier

Fall, 2017

SECTION

Studio: Illias Papageorgiou 63

Spring, 2020

Aquatic Connections: 14th Street Pier

Fall, 2017

SECTION

Studio: Illias Papageorgiou 64

Spring, 2020

Aquatic Connections: 14th Street Pier

Fall, 2017

SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS

Parnter: Massi Malago & Julia Pszkowski Pasta alla Rockite Spring, 2020 SPAGHETTI MOLD MODEL

Course: Tensile & Compressive Structures

Instructor: Bob Marino

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Parnter: Massi Malago & Julia Pszkowski Pasta alla Rockite Spring, 2020 SPAGHETTI MOLD MODEL

Course: Tensile & Compressive Structures

Instructor: Bob Marino

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Parnter: Massi Malago & Julia Pszkowski Pasta alla Rockite Spring, 2020 SPAGHETTI MOLD STUDY MODEL

Course: Tensile & Compressive Structures

Instructor: Bob Marino

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Our animation flies through time to show the different periods before and after the many times Palmyra has been destroyed and rebuilt, with Rhino layers showing the time periods and the lenses through which we analyzed the site.

The photos of monuments and artifacts are placed where they stood or currently stand on the site plan.

The contents of our animation consist of photos and existing 3D-models we found through our research. Both are placed in their geographical position to challenge the significance of the physical artifact, compared to the digital one.

Our animation begins just before the first destruction of Palmyra in the 3rd century AD. At the height of its power, under the rule of Queen Zenobia, Palmyra was home to over 200,000 residents. Palmyra’s wealth and power derived from its position as an important stop along trade routes to Persia, India, and China. Queen Zenobia harnessed this position of power to cut off all grain supply to the Roman Empire, prompting the first major destruction of Palmyrene monuments by the Roman Emperor Aurelian in 273 AD. Palmyra was eventually rebuilt, sometime between becoming a Christian city under Byzantine rule, before being turned over to Arab Caliphate rule in the 630s AD. Under the rule of the Caliphates, two earthquakes in 1068 and 1098 AD caused more destruction of monuments in Palmyra but remained stable until further destruction by the Timurids in 1400 AD. Palmyra was again rebuilt but never regained the status of power it had under Queen Zenobia.

Excavations of Palmyra began in the early 20th century, initially led by German archeologists Otto Puchstein and Theodor Wiegand. Post World War I with the French having taken control of Syria and subsequently imposing a colonial rule, the remaining inhabitants of Palmyra were displaced to not disrupt their archeological work. Further excavations were led by the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities, and a UNESCO led Swiss expedition. The animation continues to document the artifacts that were removed from Palmyra for “safekeeping,” most of which are now housed at various cultural institutions around the developed western world. The wide range of locations shows how far the destruction and dismantling of Palmyra reaches.

The next series of images on the site show current representations and interactions with Palmyra, including tourists taking selfies, and a 1965 Vogue photoshoot by Oscar de la Renta, using the ruins of Palmyra as a backdrop for models in gowns. The Russian conductor Valery Gergiev held a concert in the Roman theater, again using the ruins as a backdrop for an artistic endeavor.

The penultimate cycle in our animation shows the most recent destruction of Palmyra, by ISIS in 2015 and 2016.

The dates note when the particular monuments were destroyed or damaged, and some images show both before and after the destruction.

The final iteration of Palmyra features the 3D models from the New Palmyra Project, which is a group of developers and archaeologists from around the world that are in the process of creating open and free highly detailed digital models of the main historic sites. This phase of redevelopment strays greatly from those before. No longer are people (outside of the Syrian Government) as interested in rebuilding the physical site but rather archeologists are interested in creating a version that is impenetrable to explosions, bullets, and destruction. The latest version of Palmyra’s reconstruction focuses on permanence and shareability.

In crafting our animation we chose not to draw anything as we felt that in ‘rebuilding’ our own Palmyra we would be adding to the problematic relationship that western institutions have with the site. We did not want to draw a destroyed project or reimagine a world we’ve never seen.

Instead, we opted to borrow from #NEWPALMYRA, the nongovernmental organization that is in the process of ‘building new Palmyra’ - a digital Palmyra to replace to physical version. Beyond finding 3D models we researched the various states of change the site has been through and curated a few hundred images and laid them out on the plan of Palmyra to document the various changes the site has been through, destruction, renewal, destruction, renewal, and so on. The music that is heard through the animation is pulled from the concert that Russia Today hosted in the grand theatre in Palmyra after Syrian forces liberated the site from ISIS. The concert was put on as a show of force and peace, the Russian’s wanted to prove to the world that the place was so safe that an orchestra could take to violins to fill the air with joy. In creating the animation we were continually in a state of unease, hinging between doing too little as we were afraid of again rebuilding a historical, and doing too much, modeling villages and rendering people and trees in images. We decided instead to opt for a simple and clear historical catalog of change, looting, growth, and destruction of the site, all through the lens of the Western institution.

Course: Building Islam

Instructor: Ziad Jamaleddine

Partner: Kate McNamara &Julia Pzsykowski

At this point in history, we have the arrival of the Western world, whose “discovery” of the ruins of Palmyra introduce the complicated relationship between Palmyra and the West. In the 17th century, Palmyra was visited by renaissance men Pietro Della Valle, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, and Abednego Seller, followed by Robert Wood, James Dawkins, and Louis-Francois Cassas in the 18th century. Our animation shows images from the 1884 Wolfe Expedition to Palmyra, whose intention had been to find a “promising site for American excavation in the Near East,” indicating the expeditions interest in Palmyra as a means to display America’s cultural wealth and interest beyond their borders. At this time the world was in the midst of an archeological renaissance and the Near-East, the Levant, in particular, was their Florence. Expeditions to the Near-East where highly popular and lavash cultural “adventures”.

At this particular time the British had already unearthed and taken many artifacts from the northern Levant, the American explorers saw Palmyra as their opportunity to add, to the then-nascent, American cultural repertoire.

Drawing Reconstructions of Palmyra

Our project investigates the continued destruction and rebuilding, both physically and digitally, of Palmyra, questioning the West ’s motives for intervention. We explored numerous time periods and their resulting geopolitical differences and the implications for Palmyra, whether that may have been for historic protection and renewal, exploitation of Roman artifacts, or destruction.

The never-ending fascination with the Roman ruins shows the West greatly values the site for its Roman (i.e. Western Civilizational) heritage, and not for the ways in which it was prosperous as an Arab city and a crown jewel on the famous Silk Road trade route.

Fall, 2018

Drawing Palmyra

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FRAMES FROM VIDEO

Course: Building Islam Instructor: Ziad Jamaleddine 70

Fall, 2018

Drawing Reconstructions of Palmyra

Partner: Kate McNamara &Julia Pzsykowski

Team Project

Benevolent intentions: a patron to modern architecture

Summer, 2019

Al Makassed, Beirut Islamic Society of Benevolent Intentions, A Patron of Modern Architecture

The exhibition is cenetered on three Makassed campuses across Beirut: Khalid bin Walid in the Horj, Khadija al Kobra in Aisha Bakkar, Ali bin Abi Talib in Ashrafieh.

The architectural expansion of these campuses are an entry point into a complex narrative (of pedagogical, philanthropic, cultural and financial practices) that intertwines with the urban transformation of 20th century Beirut. At its founding in 1877, Makassed’s mandate for a progressive Islamic institution committed to educating girls and providing an alternative to European Christian missions exerted considerable influence on the modernization and advancement of comparable educational programs in the region. Through the construction of schools, mosques, hospitals, and cemeteries, Makassed sought to forge a local and regional consciousness informed by Islamic ideals as a means of contending with Ottoman and French colonialism. Makassed’s property acquisition and independent media networks across Beirut allowed the organization to cast

COMPOSITE MAP OF BEIRUT

Summer Workshop

Instructor: Ziad Jamaleddine

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ZOOMS OF MAP OF BEIRUT AND FINAL MOUNTED MAP IN GALLERY

Summer Workshop Instructor: Ziad Jamaleddine 72

Summer, 2019

Al Makassed, Beirut Islamic Society of Benevolent Intentions, A Patron of Modern Architecture

Team Project

For our project, we wanted to take on the way that John Perez represents earth and fracking/drilling operations.

First, Perez’s abstraction of the ground allows the viewer to dislocate the earth condition from reality. Perez paints pastoral scenes, plains - forests - and oceans, that remain untouched by man. These places, in reality, are usually transformed from this pastoral state into bustling, black, areas of scarred earth. Roads are cleared to allow for machines to enter the site, trees are felled to allow for leveling and expansion of the earth, the sea floor is drilled into and anchors are cast into the sea bed to fix large platforms above. But this reality is non-existent for Perez and their clients in their representational attitudes. We were also interested in how Perez shows the insertion of industry upon the land as a surgical operation. A truck arrives, a pipe is sent down thousands of feet, the oil comes out, and when they are done they remove the pipe. Perez shows this in selective levels of detail in the section of earth they cut.

The earth is drawn with an extreme level of detail, conveying precision and scientific know-how. Yet the armatures of the oil industry are often represented as simple grey pipes that shoot thousands of feet below the earth. This dichotomy of hyper-real and abstraction creates a kind of soup from which the viewer is left both trusting Perez but also allows the viewer to cast their own sense of reality into the drawings. Lastly, we wanted to take on the human effect of extraction. Throughout the world when these types of industries arrive there is almost always some amount of human displacement involved. We wanted to examine - using the representational style created by Perez - this global issue. We used the strata of earth shown in the ‘core samples’ to show levels of displacement and permanence

of the mines. Beyond the sectional qualities, we also draw lines between places of habitation and dislocation.

The first site we chose to explore remains in operation in Colombia. The Cerrejon Coal Mine provides a narrative of dispossession within the context of extraction. Located in Cerrejon, Colombia, the mine is the largest in Latin America and the tenth biggest in the world, extending over 270 square miles. When mine operations began in 1985, it was partially owned by the Colombian government, but it was then sold to three multinational companies (BHP Billiton, Glencore, Anglo American plc.) who are now in full operation of the mine. The change in ownership resulted in 35 communities being displaced in order to make way for the mine to expand. In 2001, 700 people were displaced out of the Tabaco community. Those communities who weren’t displaced are left with a heavily damaged ecosystem and the sounds of mine operations that are strong enough to make the houses shake.

Next, we go north to a fracking camp just West of Tioga, North Dakota. Here, a military type camp has formed.

Employees are flown into private airports where they are then shuttled to their camps. The camps operate like military bases, there is no sense of permanence in the construction and tents continue to be a staple of the settlements. While this remains the case for the camps the reality in the nearby towns is often different. With the massive influx of industry, so comes the economic boom and a form of corporate colonialism ensues. To satiate the new residents a new demand for housing is created alongside a need for entertainment. Entertainment in these ‘man-camps’ is often in the way of strip clubs, and casinos. Rents in the towns skyrocket and local population often themselves without access to affordable housing and work. The fracking boom has also left behind numerous ecological disasters. From the earthquakes plaguing Oklahoma to water tables being soured, fracking has left its mark on the natures it inhabits.

to high schools, SunCor has branded the town and is the sole economic engine in the micro-region it has spawned.

Human displacement in this site is a bit more complex in that it is folded into the larger issue of First Nations peoples exploitations in Canada in general. The strip-mine sits on what was once open land occupied by the indigenous people. But the Canadian story and relationship with indigenous peoples is very similar to that in the US. Systematic exploitation and years of entrenched racism have left the First Nations with few tools to fight back. The consequences to nature in this is area have been immense.

Strip mining is the process of ripping back layers of earth to expose vast swaths of sand that has small amounts of tar dissolved in it. Vast acres of the Canadian north have been devoured in this process and there is no way to replace what has been removed.

The processes of extraction in the three sites all weave small parts of a larger global extractive tapestry. The thread through these sites remains natural devastation and human displacement, for the procurement of energy often to be consumed thousands of miles from the site of extraction.

Partner: Michael McDowell &Julia Pzsykowski

The industries of extraction have long thought themselves heroes of the modern era. And frankly, they are. Extracted materials powered the electric grid and consequently industry and western economies. This type of heroism, to us, was most clearly illustrated in the drawings and representational style of John Perez (geoart.com). John Perez and his team of designers in Dallas Texas create illustrations and animations for coal, fracking, and other various extractive industries. John Perez most clearly encapsulates the representative style and attitude of the industry and is the leading graphic design office for commercial offices in the oil business.

Landscapes of Extraction: Colonialsim in the 1st Nations

Landscapes of Extraction

Our last site continues our journey North. This time in Fort McMurray Canada. In Fort McMurray, the Candian energy authority, SunCor, has established the opposite of what is seen in Tioga, ND. Here SunCor has built an entire town to service the tar-sands strip mine. From cineplexes Course: Architecture of Coal Country

Instructor: James Graham

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COMPOSITE LANDSCAPE OF EXTRACTIVE LANDSCAPES

Course: Architecture of Coal Country Instructor: James Graham 74

Spring, 2019

Landscapes of Extraction: Colonialsim in the 1st Nations

Partner: Michael McDowell &Julia Pzsykowski