MYTH MEMORY & LANDSCAPE of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation
D E RE K L AZO // SE RE N A LOU SICH U C BE RKE LE Y SPRING 2017 2ND YE AR CORE ST U D IO: D RAWING T HE D E SE RT FACU LT Y ADVISOR: DANIKA COOPE R, ASL A
Table of Contents 1.
Insiders
2.
Outsiders
3.
Discord
4.
Agency
5.
Strategy
6.
Intervention
7.
Reexamination
INSIDERS
Wa t e r a s S a c r e d
Circularity
Intervals of Five
Minimal Impact
Myth Culture
cca Lake
ra
mi
d
La
ke Winnemu
Py
L ahontan Cut throat Trout | Cui - ui ( Endang e red )
Winnemucca Lake | Early 1900s
Stone Mothe r ( 2 0 1 0 s ) and P y ramid Tufa For mation s ( 1 8 7 0 s )
S t o n e Mo t h e r My t h | Wa t e r B a b i e s My t h
“Our myths are important to teach our c h i l d r e n h o w t o b e g o o d p e o p l e .” — INSIDERS
OUTSIDERS
Comstock Lode Mine (1870s) and Miners exiting with ore
D e rby D am O pe n s ( 1 9 0 5 ) , dive r ting the Tr uckee Rive r f rom P y ramid L ake
“Pyramid Lake? Why would you go there? — OUTSIDERS
n i W
n
u m e
a c c
k a L
e
DISCORD
3900 3890 3880 3870 3860 3850 3840
1800
1810
1820
1830
1840
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
3830 3820 3810
1905 | Derby D am Op ens
3800 3790 3780 3770 3760
Ti m e l i n e o f Wa t e r L e v e l s
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Pre-Derby Dam (1870s)
Post-Derby Dam (2010)
“A s D e s i g n e r s , w h a t i s o u r a g e n c y i n intervening in such a sensitive landscape?” — DESIGNERS
AGENCY
?
Insiders
Outsiders
Designers
Insiders
Outsiders
Change Perceptions, Generate Empathy
APPROACH
A set of criteria guided the framework of the project, and intervention
1. Develop (5) new Myths surrounding the effects of the dam 2. Design Experiential Installations based on the myths 3. Site the installations in public access areas of meaning 4. Require an off-road excursion by car and foot 5. Raise awareness and publicity through marketing campaigns
INTERVENTION
E x c e r p t f r o m t h e G r e a t Ta p e s t r i e s My t h :
A master weaver and her daughter were struck by its beauty and potential, so they began to weave great quilts. Thread by thread, their blankets grew. The mother made her blanket thick and heavy while the daughter made hers thin but richly designed with many colors and patterns that reflected the valley beauty. And from each of these great tapestries sprouted life. Fish swam amongst its threads and flocks of birds migrated to nest in its warm fibers. For a long time the valley flourished and life became possible. It became a haven in the harsh landscape, a place where the Numu and the animals could thrive. The mother and her daughter weaved every day over their entire lives, and eventually their work spread wide and far covering the valley floor, always linked to each other, the daughter always alive and well from her mother’s thick and heavy fibers.
Site Section
APPROACH
C R E AT I O N
REVEAL
IMPOSITION
CHOKE
REFLECTION
Brochure and Billboard marketing material
REEXAMINATION
LESSONS
Key learnings from meeting with the Museum Docents 1 . Tr ibe wa s undec ided on ne w tour i sm 2. The intervention seemed to cause too much disturbance 3 . T h o u g ht t h e p ro j e c t’s i nt e nt i o n s w e re i n l i n e w / t h e t r i b e s 4. The marketing campaign + collateral were attractive ideas
Thank you!