EXHIBITIONS + ART SHOWS
Cover Image: Ouzo Series Composite Image 1. Fringe Fest ‘22 Poster Contest Entry (Above)
1. Exterior Render of Nonotuck Building from Bike Path
victiMs of John e ndecott
Boston, Massachusetts
Speaker’s Rostrum and Exhibit Conceptual Sketches
Built between 1936 and 1937, the imposing monument to John Endecott sits in a prominent location in Boston, facing the Museum of Fine Arts, one of the city’s most powerful cultural institutions. Despite the prevalence of this statue to Massachusetts’ first governor, there have been calls to remove the monument due to his brutal attacks on the both the native population of the area and three Quakers who he unjustly executed.
The proposed educational center, speaker’s platform, and memorial looks to serve as a direct response to the Endecott monument. The museum is built around a shallow pond which is the exact dimensions in plan as the Endecott monument, but sinks into the earth instead of building on top of it (2). A speaker’s platform above the water faces the original monument while bringing visitors to the same level as Endecott’s statue (3). In front of the speakers rostrum sits a large field for assembly, which can be used by the community for rallies.
The interior of the museum is divided into two separate galleries which elevate the stories of the Pequot peoples and the Boston Martyrs. Upon entering the atrium (8), visitors can turn to the left to view the galleries dedicated to the Natives peoples (5), or right to learn about the victims of his religious intolerance. Display cases sit under the ramps which encircle the building and take visitors to the speaker’s rostrum.
1. Exploded Axon of Memorial and Museum (Left) 2. John Endecott Statue Plan and Museum Plan (Top Right) 3. 1:16 Scale Site Model from Northeast (Second From Top Right) 4. Interior Lobby Render (Third from Top Right) 4. Museum Interior Render (Bottom Right)
the i nterlock:
u nited states M ission to the u nited nations
Geneva, Switzerland
Interlock Mission to the United Nations Parti
The Interlock was designed to serve as a mission for the United States government to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Working with the U.S. State Department Office of Overseas Building Operations for a Graduate-level architecture studio class, my partner and I began by looking at Gropius’ closed-off U.S. Embassy in Athens (1959–1961) and investigating ways to make it secure but still symbolically accessible.
The Interlock takes a four story, courtyard-style office building and breaks it open to signal transparency and openness. In separating the four segments of the building, the mission is opened up to the public (2). The breaks are modeled after traditional wood joinery, reflecting the use of mass timber and a wood facade (1, 3). The four segments move in distinct operations to the edges of the 100 foot offset line. These moments create voids that result in unique architectural moments.
The disassembled courtyard building breaks the Conference Center off into its own disconnected structure while creating gaps of double-height ceilings in the main building (4). The facade is made up of wood planks which provide shade while disguising the secure parts of the building which cannot have windows due to security reasons. The building uses a mass timber structure (7, 8, 11) and green roof (10), which both emphasize the State Department’s desire to employ more sustainable building practices in the construction of their future embassies and mission buildings.
1. Interlock Massing Model (Top Left) 2. Interlock Concept Diagram (Top Middle) 3. Interlock Massing Model Unlocked (Second Row Left) 4. Interlock Render (Second Row Right) 5. Interlock First Floor Plan (Top Right) 6. Interlock Section (Third Row) 7. Interlock Entrance Render (Bottom)
Ge Mini coMplex: fountain and visitors center Mt.
Pollux, Massachusetts
Gemini Complex Conceptual Sketch
2021 AIA National – AIA Western Massachusetts – Pella Windows Architecture Contest Winner
The Gemini Complex is a proposed museum, fountain, and public park located on Mt. Pollux in Amherst, Massachusetts. Mt. Pollux was named after two tall oak trees which once stood atop the center of the hill, invoking the Gemini twins of Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux. The Castor Fountain (9), cut into the earth, represents the half-mortal twin and the tree that was removed from the site in 2009 after being struck by lightning. The museum, springing out of the ground represents both Pollux, the fully divine of the twins, and the surviving tree (7). Visitors can climb a central spiral staircase in the middle of the museum to an observation deck (8). A small display area, a bathroom, office, and janitors closet encircle the staircase, sculpture, and observation desk.
The plan of the complex is based on the Gemini constellation, with the museum and fountain laid where the stars Castor and Pollux appear in the sky (6). The connecting hands and bodies serve as the footpaths and the circles in the path represent other stars that make up the Gemini constellation (6). In 2021, this project was a co-winner of a juried architectural contest, fetching a $1,000 prize from AIA National, AIA Western Mass, and Pella Windows.
1.
Pollux Museum and Observation Deck Section Perspective (Top) 2. Castor Fountain from East (Middle) 3. Gemini Complex View from South (Bottom)
proMetheus housinG coMplex for fa Milies and transitional Youths
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Prometheus Parti Series (History of Site, Sunlight, Swing Space, and Courtyard Circulation)
In 1999, a massive fire in Holyoke, MA destroyed a Catholic church which was home to a French Canadian congregation. The fire, which made national news, also destroyed 60 units of housing which have yet to be replaced. I decided to use the elements of the church’s architecture along with pictures of the lot in the days after the fire to inspire and inform the design. The facade of the housing complex uses a simplified, Postmodern of brick pattern based on the church’s style (4). The inner-courtyard, providing both recreational space and light for the units resembles a building hollowed out by fire (5).
In meetings with Holyoke officials and community leaders, a lack of housing for families and young people aging out of the foster system was consistently cited as the biggest problem for the city. This housing complex looks to solve this issue by creating shared living spaces for families and the transitional age youths. Each housing unit consists of three stories, with four youths living on the top floor and families on the bottom floor (2). Both the youths and the families enter through a shared space on the second floor. This space encourages interactions between the groups as a way to foster a larger sense of community.
1. Massing Diagram and Sun Path Diagram (Top Left) 2. Transitional Youth Dorm, Shared Swing Space and Three-Bedroom Family Unit Exploded Axons and Plans (Top Right) 3. Initial Massing Foam Model (Middle Left) 4. 1:16 Scale Model (Middle Right) 5. Section
n onotuck
BuildinG:
M ixed - use and perforM ance space
Northampton, Massachusetts
Nonotuck Building Materials Diagram Sketch
The Nonotuck Building, designed for an amenity lot in Northampton, Massachusetts, takes its name from the former indigenous name for the area. “Nontouck” means “in the midst of the River” in Algonquin, reflecting the reason both Native Americans and English settlers chose to live in this area.
The Northeast side of the building is shaped like the Connecticut River as it flows through Northampton. The famous Oxbow, immortalized by Thomas Cole in a painting that hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, serves as the building’s main entrance. While one side gives tribute to the original inhabitants, the other side has a porch inspired by the shape of Samuel Wright’s 17th-century lot on which the building sits (5). The contrasting geometry suggests a tension between hunter gatherer communities and sedentary agricultural settlers.
The first floor features a double-height atrium and grocery store in the back (1). A curvy staircase takes the visitor to the bottom of the Greek theater, a small performance space which is the centerpiece of the building (2, 10). The third floor consists of a cafe and standing room space for the theater (3). On the roof, a large sculpture based on the curve of the river provides both shade and photovoltaic panels to partially power the building.
1. Ground Floor Axon (Top Left) 2. Second Floor Axon (Top Right) 3. Third Floor Axon (Middle Left) 4. Fourth Floor Axon (Middle Right) 5. Nonotuck Building Section Perspective (Bottom Right)
1. Mary Webster Memorial Render from Air
M e Morial to M arY WeBster, the half- hanGed Witch
Hadley, Massachusetts
Mary Webster (born Mary Reeve) was a resident of the town of Hadley, a small farming community in the Western portion of the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the 17th century. She first appears in the historical record when she was sent to trials in Northampton and Boston on charges of witchcraft in 1683. Despite being acquitted by the courts, she was attacked and lynched upon returning home. Beaten and hung from a tree, Mary miraculously survived the attack and lived for another eleven years.
This proposed memorial celebrates Mary’s resilience in the face of violence and persecution. Located on the Hadley town green (6), not far from the site of the attack, the memorial is divided into two sections. Visitors first walk into a subterranean path (1), traveling east then west, like Mary did for her two trials. As they descend six-feet-under the ground, the visitor is confronted by the jagged architecture and shadows, echoing the feelings and disorientation Mary felt during the attack (2).
After emerging from the ground, they ascend to a platform which symbolizes the act of Mary coming back to life (3). Upon the platform sits a stele engraved with a poem about Mary’s hanging, composed by Canadian author Margaret Atwood (4). The memorial seeks to educate visitors not only about Mary’s story, but also all those who experienced violence and death because of accusations of witchcraft.
1. Plan of Memorial (Left) 2. Entrance to Memorial (Top Right) 3. Walking North In “Death” Section (Second from Top Right) 4. Rebirth Platform from East (Third from Top Right) 5. Memorial View from West (Bottom Right)
Memorial to Mary Webster South to North Section
MonuMent to the re Moval of the e M ancipation M e Morial Boston,
Massachusetts
Monument to the Removal of Emancipation Memorial Parti
In the aftermath of a year-long conversation on race and harmful symbols of the American past, Thomas Ball’s Emancipation Memorial was removed from Lincoln Square in Boston, Massachusetts on a cold December morning in 2020. Although the statue group, a replica of the Freedman’s Group in Washington, D.C., was meant to honor the end of slavery, many considered the imagery of a shirtless slave kneeling before President Lincoln to be both racist and demeaning. Currently, the large granite base on which this group once sat continues to remain empty.
The proposed monument celebrates the efforts of the community to remove a monument. Initial iterations of the monument took inspiration from the yellow straps which were wrapped around the statue group during its removal. The design, however, soon shifted to a crane, which curled around the remaining base (2). In plan, the swirl of the crane reflects the idea that the work of removing racist symbols and achieving a more equitable future is not finished and is still ongoing (4). The mass, representing Ball’s statue group but not reproducing its racist imagery, hangs from the crane (4). This shows that, although it has been lifted, this and other achievements in the struggle for social justice are still perilous. The community must fight in order to keep the mass raised and to make sure that symbols representing racism and inequality do not return.
1. Removal of Emancipation Memorial in 2020, Original Photo by Jesse Costa (Top Left) 2. Diagram (Second Row Left) 3. 1:16 Scale Model (Third Row Left) 4. Site Plan Rendered (Bottom Left) 5. Rendered View (Right)
christopher coluMBus Graffiti MonuMent
Boston, Massachusetts
Designed by legendary landscape architect, Hideo Sasaki, Waterfront Park has long been a popular gathering spot in Boston. In 1979, three years after it opened, Waterfront Park underwent some greatly symbolic changes. Along with being renamed “Christopher Columbus Park,” a marble statue of the navigator, commissioned by right wing culture warrior Arthur “Mr. Wake-Up America” Stivaletta, was placed at the crossroads of the two main pedestrian thoroughfares.
In separate incidents in 2004 and 2015, the statue was covered in fake blood when protesters dumped bright red paint over its head. In 2020, the city of Boston removed the statue, leaving the base in place.
The graffiti monument is inspired by a provocative article by Macalester Bell (“Against Simple Removal: A Defence of Defacement as a Response to Racist Monuments,” 2022), who argues racists monuments should be left in place to give the community a chance to dishonor the subjects of these statues through defacement. The graffiti monument uses the red paint to create a permanent monument to these extralegal acts of protest (1, 2). In the monument, Columbus is removed but a sculpture based on the paint which defaced the statue remains forever. By publicly dishonoring Columbus, the monument reflects both sympathy for Indigenous Peoples and solidarity with those who risked consequences to make their displeasure with Columbus known.
1. Graffiti Monument Render (Top) 2. Elevation from East (Bottom)
Graffiti Monument Iterative Sketches
UMass BRUT presents...
Our Campus Architecture Interpreted Through Original Student Writing, Artwork and Design Design Building Gallery. October–November, 2024.
1. Windows on UMass 60s-Inspired Poster
Baku, Azerbaijan vadiM shulGin : soviet ModernisM
in Baku, 1955–1974
In 2023, I won a Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant in which I proposed spending a year in the former Soviet Union and putting on an exhibition about the weird and wonderful architecture which arose after Stalin. After moving to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, I spent the next nine months researching Soviet Modernism which culminated in an exhibition held at the Azerbaijan Architecture and Construction University for the month of May 2024.
On November 4th, 1955, two years after the death of Stalin, a decree from the Central Committee dramatically and suddenly changed the architecture of the Soviet Union forever. Overnight, an entire generation of architects trained only in the prevalent Stalinist fashion were free to experiment and invent a completely new style.
The exhibition sought to document the invention of Soviet Modernism by examining the career of Vadim Shulgin (1926-1974), an architect tasked with rebuilding the cultural and public buildings of Baku in this yet-to-be-determined style. Vadim Shulgin: Soviet Modernism in Baku, 1955–1974 was the first-ever retrospective of one the great architectural geniuses of the post-war period. 50 years after Shulgin’s tragic death at the age of 47, the exhibit celebrated the eight projects he designed in his home city with specific displays for each project. For the show, I produced new artwork (including six water color paintings), a large portrait of Shulgin in graphite, archival photographs, architectural models which I 3D-printed, and original graphic representations.
1. Vadim Shulgin Exhibition Fliers, Azerbaijani Version (Top Left) 2. Visitors Inspect Chess Club Materials (Top Right) 3. Student Looks at Exhibition (Middle Right) 4. Unnamed Twisting Tower Model (Bottom Left) 5. Maritime Station and Lenin Palace Displays (Bottom Right)
Sketch of Pearl Cafe
illuMinatinG BrutalisM: a proJection art & Music experience
Bromery Center for the Arts, Amherst, Massachusetts
Illuminating Brutalism Secondary Logo
Illuminating Brutalism was a collaboration between myself and another artist, Professor Mark Millstein of UMass Dartmouth, in which we projected a hour-long animation onto Kevin Roche’s iconic Fine Arts Center Bridge at UMass Amherst (1975). For the show, I created the promotional materials (1), the animated land acknowledgment (2, 3), and a short animation about the history of concrete, Brutalism, and concrete Modernist architecture at UMass Amherst and Dartmouth.
The Land Acknowledgment animation was developed in conjunction with the UMass Native American Advisory Council. The animated sequence, created in digital watercolor, aimed to give tribute to both the lands of the region and its original inhabitants (2, 3). The Land Acknowledgment itself was read by two members of the Native American Advisory Council who I recorded specifically for the event.
The “History of Brutalism and Concrete” animation looked to present the subject of Brutalist and concrete architecture in a fun and light-hearted manner. Often seen as intimidating, the work sought to soften the image of Brutalism while connecting our architecturally significant buildings at UMass Amherst and UMass Dartmouth to a long line of important structures built with concrete. While the practice of building with concrete has shifted to more sustainable methods of construction, the artwork celebrated the engineering, artistic and architectural achievements that the medium has provided over the last 2000 years.
1. Illuminating Brutalism Promotional Poster (Top) 2. Land Acknowledgment Digital Water Color (Middle Left) 3. Land Acknowledgment Animation Projection, Photo by Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham (Middle Right) 4. UMass Brutalism Projection, Photo by Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham (Bottom)
BrutalisM in color
Bromery Center for the Arts, Amherst, Massachusetts
Original Brutalism in Color Logo
In the Fall of 2021, I was asked to conceive, design, and curate an exhibition celebrating the bold and impressive Brutalist monuments on the campuses of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. In the 1960s, both universities hired some of the most distinguished architects in the U.S., including Marcel Breuer, Paul Rudolph, Edward Durell Stone, and Kevin Roche. These building programs produced some of the most ambitious and dynamic Modernist architectural projects of the era.
Despite a recent resurgence of interest in Brutalist architecture among architects, photographers, artists, and Instagrammers, Brutalism remains somewhat unpopular with the public-at-large. With this exhibit, I argued that the public’s weariness stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the color palette of this architectural style. Although many people associate Brutalist architecture merely with the grey color tone of the concrete, this exhibit hoped to show the colorful side of Brutalism and refute its prevalent association with drabness.
“Brutalism in Color” presented the renowned Brutalist architecture of UMass Amherst and UMass Dartmouth in new and colorful ways. Featuring brightly colored archival photography, original artwork, and representations of recent renovations to Brutalist interiors, the exhibition focused on different ways architects, designers, and caretakers have employed color in and around our Brutalist structures. The exhibit highlights the use of textiles, water, paint, and art, not only to connect Brutalism to its original vibrant context of the era, but also to portray these architectural masterpieces in an entirely new light.
1. Brutalism in Color Poster (Top Left) 2. Exhibition Installation (Top Right) 3. Water Display (Middle Right) 4. Hampshire Dining Hall: In Color (Bottom)
1. “Engagement in Piazza Navona” (2022), Digital Vector Art
GRAPHIC DESIGN + ILLUSTRATION
Bruno the Brutalist BuildinG: a children’s Book aBout architecture
Amherst, Massachusetts
Initial Bruno the Brutalist Building Sketch
During my time working in Brutalism advocacy, I had an idea for a children’s book about concrete architecture. In the summer of 2023, I wrote and illustrated the 14 page book and am currently in the process of looking for a publisher. The children’s book follows the story of Bruno, a Brutalist building built in the 1970s from its design (2) to its eventual renovation (5) following years of neglect (1). Like many Brutalist buildings, Bruno is initially loved but is not properly maintained, and Bruno falls out of favor and is eventually abandoned. Marked for demolition, artists and hipsters take pictures of Bruno and begin a campaign which eventually save him (3).
The project began with conceptual sketches of the building, and searching for a building design which both reflected the principles of Brutalist architecture and resembled anthropomorphic features which would appeal to children (1). Inspired by the domestic architecture of early Mario Botta and the fenestration of Marcel Breuer, Bruno was first designed in SketchUp. After creating a 3D model of the building, the illustrations were then created digitally on the iPad in Adobe’s drawing app, Fresco. Using live watercolor brushes, the illustrations were given a soft digital coloring in order to depict the building in a gentle way and to add texture and emotion to Bruno’s concrete facade.
1. Bruno Gets Tagged (Top) 2. An Architect Designs Bruno (Second Row Left) 3. Hipsters Take Photos with Bruno (Second Row Right) 4. Bruno Gets Likes on Brutagram (Bottom Left) 5. Bruno Protects Child from Rain (Bottom Right)
association of u niversit Y architects annual conference loGo and BrandinG
Amherst, Massachusetts
Preliminary AUA Logo Sketch
The Association of University Architects, or AUA, is a professional group consisting of college and university architects from institutions of higher learning across the United States and Canada. Every summer, the AUA gathers together for their annual conference at a different college campus, with a unique logo and branding reflecting the hosting institution and city. Ahead of the 2024 conference, hosted by UMass Amherst, I was hired to develop a logo and branding for the conference. In developing the logo, I was specifically asked to include AUA’s official monogram logo and some representation of UMass’s iconic W.E.B. Dubois Library, the 28-story tower design by Edward Durrell Stone.
The theme of the conference was “Reinventing the Modern,” and focused on Modernist and Brutalist buildings on North American campuses. After completing dozens of prototypes over a six month period (1–9), the planning committee eventually picked a design which incorporated a psychedelic pattern reflecting the conference’s focus in the 1960s and 70s (10). For this logo, I designed a custom typeface based on the AUA logo and placed the pattern within the block of letters.
1–3. AUA Conference Logo Prototypes with Campus Lake Theme and Colors (Top Row) 4–6. AUA Conference Logo Prototypes with UMass Amherst Colors and Dubois Library (Second Row) 7–9. AUA Conference Logo Prototypes with Bright Colors (Third Row) 10. Association of University Architects 2004 Annual Conference Primary Logo (Bottom)
REINVENTING MODERN
W.E.B Dubois Library (1973). Designed by Edward Durrell Stone, UMass Amherst’s most iconic building.
REINVENTING
REINVENTING
REINVENTING
REINVENTING THE MODERN
u niversit Y of M assachusetts a Mherst
Brutalist c a Mpus Guide
Amherst, Massachusetts
Initial Conceptual Vector Sketch of Lederle Hall
In the 1960s and early 1970s, the University of Massachusetts Amherst hired some of the most renowned architects in the world to build bold and sculptural buildings which invoked the progressive spirit of the age. While these structures by Marcel Breuer, Kevin Roche, and other luminaries were recognized as crowning architectural achievements at the time, Brutalism soon fell out of favor in the field and with the public at-large.
In an attempt to educate the community about these monuments I was hired by UMass to create the “UMass Amherst Brutalist Campus Guide” in 2021. The guide is a foldable, illustrated map and directory featuring 28 Brutalist buildings on the campus. The guide contains illustrated depictions of the buildings (3), biographies and portraits of the architects who designed them (4), and descriptions of the structures and their significant architectural features. The cover features a geometric pattern modeled after the fenestration pattern in Breuer’s Lincoln Campus Center from 1969 (3). This pattern is also repeated on a black band which slides over the guide in order to keep it folded (1).
The guide has been widely distributed to UMass Amherst campus tour guides, administrators, state legislators, and notable architects. The guide was even featured on popular design website, Dezeen in 2022WW. Now on its 5th printing, the Brutalist Campus guide continues to educate the community on the importance of UMass’ architectural heritage.
1. Cover Detail, Photo by John Solem (Top Left) 2. Lincoln Campus Center Drawing (Top Middle) 3. Hideo Sasaki Portrait (Top Right) 4. Student with UMass Amherst Brutalist Campus Guide, Photo by John Solem (Bottom)
1. Gummi Bear Sculpture (2021) , Acrylic and LED Lighting, 1’ x 1’ x 8”
PAINTINGS + FABRICATION
paintinGs
Los Angeles, California
Denver, Colorado
Chicago, Illinois
Sanctus Mars Concept Sketch
I was in Belgrade visiting many Orthodox churches and I had an idea of painting Stephen A. Smith, a favorite sports-commentary and television personality of mine, as Christ based on a Byzantine icon. Upon moving to back to the U.S., I bought painting supplies and taught myself to paint over 5 months in order to realize this vision. Since then, I have kept aspects of Medieval religious art in much of my work. “Santa Margaret” (2) is a portrait of my deceased grandmother where I painted her in here favorite outfit, using an oversized hat she used to wear as a mandala. “Sanctus Mars” (1) was tribute to my best friend’s dog who died in 2020 at the old age of seventeen.
While in architecture school, I took a class on watercolor and gauche painting at the University of Massachusetts Department of Fine Arts. For this class, I produced a portrait of my good friend’s father (3) who recently passed with a fine-tipped brush I made from squirrel hair. I later created a custom frame out of sapele world. It currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.
1. “Sanctus Mars” (2020), Acrylic on Canvas, 16” x 20”, Private Collection, Los Angeles, California (Top) 2. “Santa Margaret” (2023), Acrylic on Canvas, 20” x 16”, Private Collection, Denver, Colorado (Bottom Left)
3. “Jack Pierson Portrait” (2023), Watercolor on Cardboard , 8” x 15”, Private Collection, Chicago, Illinois (Bottom Right)
coffee and Waffles: a Brutalist coffee taBle
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Coffee and Waffles Table Parti
The coffee table is inspired by Brutalism and, specifically, the waffle slab ceiling of Hampshire Dining Hall at UMass Amherst. It was conceived, designed, and constructed during a graduate-level architecture studio taught by the Principals of Boston architecture firm, DesignLAB. Every student in the class picked a specific Brutalist building on campus and were tasked with creating a unique piece of furniture inspired by the architecture and spaces of that building.
Originally modeled in Rhino (1), I created several models at different scales, eventually culminating in a full-scale mock-up using construction lumber (3). The final iteration of the table was built with a concrete base, sapele wood, and a glass top. The wood is stacked in a manner which invokes Hampshire’s waffle slab ceilings. Designed by Hugh Stubbins and Associates as part of the Southwest Residential Area in the 1960s, Hampshire Dinning Hall is still a crucial part of UMass’s campus today and is one of the most popular dining halls (2). The chamfering of the sticks is derived from the walls outside of Hampshire which are humanized by softening the edges. The waffle pattern allows for interesting shadows and light in and around the table. Although the table is not massive in size, the concrete base and the waffle slab wood pattern gives the coffee table a certain monumentality.
The table was given as a gift to my parents who proudly display it their living room.
1.
Rhino Model, Plan View (Top Left) 2. Full-Scale Mock-up (Top Right) 3. Graphite Drawing of Table in Hampshire Dining Hall (Middle Left) 4. View of Table from Floor (Middle Right) 5. Completed Table, Photo by Sam Batchelor (Bottom)
connecticut river tile
Northampton, Massachusetts
For a project in graduate school, I designed a building which tells the story of the clash between the indigenous people of Northampton and the first Western settler of the plot on which my building was to be built. The east side of the building takes the shape of the Connecticut River as it passes through the Pioneer Valley, while the west side of the building is derived from Deacon Samuel Wright’s 17th-Century plot.
For the stage of the performance space, I wanted to further show this juxtaposition of the natural elements and the political/agricultural geography of the first settlers. Half of the tile is comprised of the borders of the towns of the regions, while the other half, separated by the river, is untouched and pristine (1). The tile represents the clash between hunter-gathers and property-driven settlers (5). After modeling the tile in Rhino, I then created a 1/8th scale model of the tile out of foam on a CNC printer (3). A flexible LED light was put in the river valley of the tile (4). The light represents giving life to both sides of the divide.
1. Axon Line Drawing (Top Left) 2. CNC Fabrication (Top Right) 3. Tile Towns Detail (Second Row) 4. Tile with River Lighting (Bottom)
Connecticut River Tile Parti
All photographs, paintings, designs, renders, drawings, sketches, and text by
unless otherwise specified.
Lincoln Thomas Nemetz-Carlson