Taking an Alternative Path: Uncovering Controversy + Societal (Un)Conditioning

2

ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I AM WHITE, BUT I AM TAKING SERIOUSLY THE COMMITMENT TO UNLEARN WHITENESS. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I AM PRIVILEGED TO ATTEND AN IVY LEAGUE INSTITUTION, BUT I AM USING THAT PRIVILEGE TO DISMANTLE CORRUPT POWER STRUCTURES. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I ATTEND COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE “GYM CROW” BUILDING, BUT I AM ACTIVELY CRITIQUING THEIR ROLE IN RACISM FROM WITHIN. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I HAVE ONLY RECENTLY BECOME A HARLEM RESIDENT, BUT I AM CONSCIOUSLY PARTICIPATING IN REVERSE CULTURAL APPROPRIATION INSTEAD OF PARTICIPATING IN ACTS OF GENTRIFICATION AND COMPLACENCY.

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

SETTING THE SPEED

SPEED UP

RISE UP

THE FRAGMENTED GYM

THE ROCK SLIDE

THE DYNAMITE FUNICULAR

pg 6

pg 68

pg 112

WIND

4

EARTH

GRAVITY

SLOW DOWN

RESET THE SPEED

THE FLEXIBLE RAFT

THE FIRE PITS

pg 136

pg 194

WATER

FIRE

5

SETTING THE SPEED THE FRAGMENTED GYM

6

I BEGAN WITH A MATERIAL EXPLORATION OF CURVING WOOD, CREATING A RELATIONSHIP OF CONTINUITY AND FRAGMENTATION THAT RESULTED IN A FRAGMENTED BARRELED VAULT THAT IS NOT UNLIKE THE FRAGMENTED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND CENTRAL HARLEM. TO EMBODY THIS DIFFERENCE OF STATUS AND RACE, I BEGAN INTRODUCING DIFFERENT SPECIES OF WOOD, BUT IN A WAY THAT DOES NOT JUST PRODUCE A REDUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP OF RACE TO COLOR OF WOOD. IN OTHER WORDS, INSTEAD OF REDUCTIVELY USING ASH TO EXEMPLIFY WHITENESS OR WALNUT TO REPRESENT BLACKNESS, I COMBINE THE DIASPORA OF WOOD SPECIES AND USE THEIR VARYING MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS TO ENHANCE THE WHOLE. THE VARIED COLLECTIVE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE HOMOGENEOUS INDIVIDUAL. OBJECT 1 EXPLORES THE STRUCTURAL STABILITY OF WOOD THROUGH JUXTAPOSING THE INSTABILITY OF SINGULAR PIECES OF A HOMOGENEOUS WOOD SPECIES AGAINST THE STABILITY OF COMBINING MULTIPLE HETEROGENEOUS WOOD VENEERS.

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

CREATING CURVED WOOD WITH VENEERS

38

39

OBJECT 1 - SURVEY DRAWINGS

40

41

THE PROPOSED “GYM CROW”

42

SITE 1 : THE GYM I UNCOVER THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY’S PROPOSED “GYM CROW” BUILDING BY CREATING A NEW PATH THAT IS DIFFERENTIATED FROM THE VERY STRAIGHT, DIRECT, STAIR PATHS THAT CURRENTLY CUT THROUGH THE SITE. THE NEW PATH CREATES A MORE EXPERIENTIAL CIRCULATION THAT EXPRESSES THE HISTORY OF RACISM AT THIS CONTENTIOUS SITE. SITE 1 IS A FRAGMENTED TUNNEL THAT VIBRATES WITH THE WIND, THEREBY GRABBING ATTENTION TO THE COLUMBIA SIDE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS NEW PATH. STARTING WITH A SELF-DIRECTED PACE, THE OCCUPANT IS LED THROUGH THE INTENDED ENTRY TO THE UNBUILT GYM. EACH PERSON SETS THEIR OWN RHYTHMIC CADENCE AS THEY ENTER THE PARK AND DESCEND DOWN THE STAIRCASE WITH EACH STEP, WITH EACH LANDING. SITE 1 USES THE CURVED GEOMETRY FROM THE OBJECT 1 EXPERIMENTS TO CREATE A NEW GYM, ONE THAT DOES NOT OCCUPY PUBLIC LAND FOR PRIVATE USE.

43

THE EXISTING “GYM”

44

THE SITE IN USE

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

SPEED UP THE ROCK SLIDE

68

OBJECT 2 RELATES DIRECTLY TO THE MATERIAL CHARACTERIZED BY SITE 2: THE ROCK. I WAS INTRIGUED BY BOTH THE TEXTURE, PARTICULARLY THE STRIATIONS OF THE ROCK, AND THE REMNANTS OF DRILLING AND DYNAMITE ACTIVITY THAT WAS USED TO EXCAVATE FOR THE FOUNDATION OF THE NEVER-BUILT GYM. I AM CREATING A NEW ROCK, BUT ONE THAT IS BLENDED AND EXPOSES THE TWO DIFFERENT SURFACE CONDITIONS CREATED THROUGH DRILLING: THE RUGGED EXTERIOR AND THE SMOOTH, ROUND INTERIOR. OBJECT 2 EXEMPLIFIES HOW THE SCARS OF RACISM AND WHITE CULTURE CAN LEAVE A VOID, AN IMPRINT, THAT PERSISTS THROUGH TIME. EVEN THE COLLECTIVE USE OF WOOD SPECIES THAT IS AS SOLID AS A ROCK CAN BE LEFT WITH A GAPING HOLE. THROUGH THIS SOLID-VOID RELATIONSHIP, CONCEPTS OF LIGHT, SHADOW, VIEWS, PERSPECTIVE, AND POROSITY ARE EXPLORED.

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

OBJECT 2 - SURVEY DRAWINGS

88

89

OBJECT 2 - SURVEY DRAWINGS

90

91

THE FALL

92

SITE 2 : THE SLIDE SITE 2 IS ALSO CHARACTERIZED BY THE MASSIVE CHANGE IN ELEVATION THAT LITERALLY SYMBOLIZES THE SOCIOECONOMIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND HARLEM. SITE 2 IS SOLID AND VOID DYNAMITE SLIDE THAT SPEEDS UP THE EXPERIENCE OF CIRCULATION IN A FORCED WAY THAT RELATES THE CONTESTED SITE OF THE ROCK CLIFF TO THE PERIMETER OF THE “GYM CROW” BUILDING. AS A CONTINUATION FROM SITE 1, THE SERPENTINE SLIDE IS EITHER CUT OFF OR STRAIGHTENS AT THE BOUNDARY OF THE “GYM CROW” BUILDING AND BECOMES A JARRING EXPERIENCE IN AN OTHERWISE SMOOTH RIDE. THE DYNAMITE SLIDE ALSO CREATES FRAMED VIEWS OF THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE AND THE CENTRAL HARLEM BEYOND. THE SLIDE ENDS IN A SAW DUST PILE CREATED FROM THE BORING OF THE WOOD ROCK, TERMINATING IN THE ARTIFICIAL ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF SITE 3.

93

THE CLIFF

THE ROCK

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

RISE UP THE DYNAMITE FUNICULAR

112

OBJECT 2/3 EXPLORES THE INVERSE RELATIONSHIP OF THE ROCK SLIDE. IT FILLS THE VOID CREATED THROUGH THE DRILLING OF OBJECT 2. IT EXPOSES THE SMOOTH SURFACE OF THE BORING TO THE EXTERIOR. AGAIN, THROUGH THE USE OF LIGHT AND SHADOW, VIEWS AND PERSPECTIVE, AND POROSITY AND SOLIDITY, OBJECT 2/3 REGAINS BALANCE, A BALANCE THAT WAS LOST IN THE VOID OF OBJECT 2.

BUT HOW CAN THAT BALANCE BE EXEMPLIFIED THROUGH GRAVITY, THROUGH WEIGHT, THROUGH MOVEMENT, THROUGH TIME? THROUGH THIS LENS, I EXPLORE HOW THE WEIGHT OF DIFFERENT WOOD SPECIES CAN EITHER BE IN BALANCE AS A COLLECTIVE GROUP OR BROUGHT OUT OF BALANCE THROUGH THE HOMOGENEITY OF ONE SPECIES. THIS IS NOT UNLIKE HOW CERTAIN RACES AND ETHNICITIES ARE WEIGHTED FOR THEIR POTENTIAL VALUE IN WHITE CULTURE.

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

OBJECT 2/3 - SURVEY DRAWINGS

126

127

THE CLIMB

128

SITE 2/3 : THE FUNICULAR SITE 2 CREATED A NEW PATH DOWN THAT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE MASSIVE CHANGE IN ELEVATION AND GRAVITY THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A SLIDE. BUT, IS THERE AN EASIER WAY TO GO UP THAN THE IMPOSSIBLE STAIRCASE THAT HARLEM RESIDENTS MUST CLIMB JUST TO BE EQUAL WITH WHITE PRIVILEGE? I PROPOSE A DYNAMITE FUNICULAR. THE FUNICULAR IS THE INVERSE OF THE ROCK SLIDE. THE ROCK SLIDE IS A CURVILINEAR PATH THAT DRAWS OUT THE FAST SPEED OF THE SLIDE, WHEREAS THE DYNAMITE FUNICULAR CREATES A DIRECT PATH THAT SHORTENS THE SLOW PROCESS OF RISING UP. THE DYNAMITE FUNICULAR IS A WOODEN DYNAMITE STICK THAT IS LIFTED FROM ITS FUSE CARVING THROUGH SECTIONS OF THE WOOD ROCK AND CREATING A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP TO THE EXISTING SCARS THAT PERSIST ON THE ROCK CLIFF, AND THUS, THE SITE’S CONTENTIOUS PAST. IT STITCHES TOGETHER THIS FRAGMENTED HISTORY AND CLOSES THE LOOP BETWEEN THE BEGINNING OF SITE 2 AND THE END OF SITE 3. DEPENDING ON YOUR LEVEL OF PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL CONDITIONING, THE FUNICULAR MAY NOT MAKE THE RIDE UP ANY FASTER THAN THE IMPOSSIBLE STAIRCASE, BUT IT CERTAINLY MAKES REACHING EQUALITY EASIER AND MORE ACCESSIBLE.

129

THE DRILLING + DYNAMITE SCARS

130

131

132

133

134

135

SLOW DOWN THE FLEXIBLE RAFT

136

IF OBJECT 2 AND OBJECT 2/3 ARE ABOUT EXPLOITING THE SOLIDITY OF WOOD, OBJECT 3 EXPLORES HOW FLEXIBILITY CAN BE CREATED IN A VERY RIGID MULTISPECIES VENEERED PLYWOOD. THROUGH DIFFERENT CUTTING AND SCORING TECHNIQUES, I DISCOVER HOW EACH TRANSFORMATION CAN EITHER MAKE THE SURFACE MORE OR LESS FLEXIBLE. SINCE SITE 3 IS A POND CREATED FROM THE CONCRETE FOUNDATION AND ABANDONMENT OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE, I INCORPORATE WATER AND EXPLORE THE ABILITY FOR WOOD TO FLOAT. IN FACT, WOOD SPECIES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL: SOME ARE ACTUALLY DENSER THAN WATER AND DON’T FLOAT. HOWEVER, THROUGH THE USE OF DIFFERENT SPECIES OF WOOD VENEERS, I CREATE A COLLABORATIVE SURFACE WHERE EACH WOOD SPECIES DEPENDS ON THE OTHER THE FLOAT. THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE TRANSFORMED SURFACE PAIRED WITH THE FLUIDITY OF WATER CREATES A CONDITION WHERE THE DIFFERENT LAYERS OF WOOD SPECIES ARE REVEALED WHEN EXTERNAL FORCES ARE APPLIED TO THE SURFACE.

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

160

161

OBJECT 3 - SURVEY DRAWINGS

162

163

OBJECT 3 - SURVEY DRAWINGS

164

165

THE POND

166

SITE 3 : THE RAFT SITE 3 IS AN ARTIFICIAL POND, CREATED BY THE BUILDING’S FOUNDATION, AND IS USED TO HIDE THE DETONATED ROCK CLIFF BEYOND AND BY EXTENSION THE CONTESTED HISTORY OF THE PAST. THE FLEXIBLE RAFT TAKES AN ALTERNATE CIRCULATION PATH TO REVEAL THE CONTESTED ROCK CLIFF THAT IS MASKED BEHIND THE ARTIFICIAL ISLAND. ADDITIONALLY, THE WATER THAT COLLECTS IN THE FOUNDATION CREATES TOXIC ALGAE THAT IS VERY HARMFUL TO HUMANS AND WILDLIFE. ALSO, WHEN THE ARTIFICIAL POND FREEZES OVER, IT CREATES AN ICE AND DROWNING HAZARD. THIS FLEXIBLE RAFT CREATES A SURFACE THAT CAN BE USED AS A RESCUE LADDER WHEN THE POND FREEZES OVER. THIS BALANCING ACT ON THE FLEXIBLE SURFACE IS PAIRED WITH AN ASPECT OF DANGER THAT RESULTED FROM THE IRRESPONSIBILITY OF ABANDONING A CONSTRUCTION SITE. SITE 3, THEN, IS A SLOW STRUGGLE OF BALANCE ON A FLEXIBLE SURFACE ON TOP OF WATER, ALSO A FLUID SURFACE. EACH STEP IS TAKEN WITH UNCERTAINTY AND HESITATION. EACH STEP LEAVES A MEMORY, AN IMPRINT THAT PERMEATES THROUGH WATER RINGS IN THE POND. CONTINUING THE CIRCULATION PATH FROM THE ROCK SLIDE OF SITE 2, THE FLEXIBLE RAFT, CREATES A BRIDGE TO SITE 4. A COLLABORATION OF NOT ONLY THE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF WOOD, BUT ALSO OF PEOPLE STEPPING ON THE SURFACE IS NEEDED IN ORDER TO FLOAT. THE FLEXIBILITY OF THIS RAFT PAIRED WITH THE DANGER OF THE WATER FORCES PEOPLE TO RESPECT EACH OTHER’S BOUNDARIES, SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION IN THE TAKING OF PUBLIC LAND TO BUILD A PRIVATE GYM.

167

THE ARTIFICIAL ISLAND

THE RESCUE LADDER

168

THE ALGAE

169

170

171

172

173

174

175

176

177

178

179

180

181

182

183

184

185

186

187

188

189

190

191

192

193

RESET THE SPEED THE FIRE PITS

194

FOR THE LAST OBJECT, I EXPLORE BOTH THE FLAMMABLE PROPERTIES OF SMALL PIECES OF WOOD, BUT ALSO THE FIRE-RESISTANT PROPERTIES OF HEAVY TIMBER. WHEN SOLID WOOD BECOMES CHARRED, IT BIOCHEMICALLY CHANGES THE SURFACE CONDITION OF THE WOOD, SEALS IT FROM OXYGEN, AND PREVENTS FUTURE BURNING. FIRE AND HEAT CAN ALSO BE USED AS A FINISHING TECHNIQUE WITH SURFACE BURNING OR PYROGRAPHY. WITH OBJECT 4, I CREATE A NEW SURFACE PATTERN THAT CELEBRATES AND BLENDS THE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF WOOD SO THAT THE SUM OF ITS PARTS BECOME INDISTINGUISHABLE AND NONLINEAR. THIS SURFACE CAN ALSO BE SOLID VOLUMETRIC. THROUGH CARVING, THE FLAT SURFACE, AND AS A RESULT, THE SURFACE PATTERN BECOME DISTORTED. OBJECT 4 IS ALSO A GEOMETRIC ARTIFACT THAT EXPLORES FLAT, ROUND, AND TOPOGRAPHIC SURFACE CONDITIONS. THE INHERENT MOVEMENT OF ROUND SURFACES, THE IMMOBILITY OF FLAT SURFACES, AND THE SURFACE PATTERN DISTORTION OF CARVING MAKING OBJECT 4 INTERACTIVE, PERFORMATIVE, AND TEMPORAL.

195

196

197

198

199

200

201

202

203

204

205

206

207

208

209

210

211

212

213

214

215

216

217

218

219

220

221

222

223

224

225

226

227

228

229

OBJECT 4 - SURVEY DRAWINGS

230

231

OBJECT 4 - SURVEY DRAWINGS

232

233

THE BBQ AREA

234

SITE 4 : THE FIRE PITS SITE 4 CREATES A NEW TOPOGRAPHY, BUT ONE THAT WORKS WITH THE EXISTING BBQ AREAS BY CREATING A FIRE PIT THAT FACILITATES MOBILITY AND COMMUNITY IN A PARK THAT USES GATES, FENCES, AND BOUNDARIES TO DIVIDE AND CONTROL COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. SITE 4 ALSO SEEKS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO THE PARK ON THE CENTRAL HARLEM SIDE BY CREATING MORE ENTRANCES AT STREET INTERSECTIONS, SOMETHING THAT IS CLEARLY NOT AN ISSUE ON THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SIDE. INSTEAD OF THE CAREFULLY CURATED PATHS PROVIDED BY OLD, WHITE, MALE LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS, THE FIRE PITS ENCOURAGE THE PARK GOERS TO CREATE A NEW SELF-DIRECTED PATH, BUT HOPEFULLY ONE THAT IS CHANGED THROUGH A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE, A CHANGE IN SPEED, A CHANGE IN STRUGGLE. THE FIRE PITS ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE BOUNDARIES OF SITE 4. THEY WEAVE THROUGHOUT THE LANDSCAPE OF MORNINGSIDE PARK, ILLUSTRATING HOW HARLEM RESIDENTS USE AND OCCUPY SPACE. THE HEAVY WEIGHT OF THE FIRE PITS REQUIRES COLLABORATION TO MOVE THEM. THE TEMPORAL LOCATION OF THE FIRE PITS AND THE REMNANTS OF CHARRED WOOD LEAVES A IMPRINT OF HOW THE COMMUNITY CONNECTS. ULTIMATELY, THIS NEW PATH EXPOSES THE HIDDEN CONTESTED HISTORY AND CREATES A NEW PATH THAT COMBINES PRIVILEGE WITH DANGER. PEOPLE ARE NOT TREATED EQUALLY, AND NEITHER IS WOOD. BUT HOPEFULLY, THIS BEGINS TO EQUALIZE THEM THROUGH AWARENESS AND COLLECTIVITY.

235

THE PARK GATES

THE FENCES

236

237

MORNINGSIDE PARK ACCESS

238

239

240

241

242

243

244

245

246

247

248

249

250

251

252

253

254

255

256

257