4 minute read
[Act 3] PLANTATION FUTURES
from Portfolio
Scene 2 Black Ecologies
Advertisement
(Rhino
Access full video here: https://vimeo.com/839922291
Hundreds of ditches were carved into the earth by indentured labor. These ditches were engineered landscapes that controlled the microclimates of the sugarcane crop. The casts from the ditch are inserted as an index to the past. The cuts bring visitors into the historic ditches, where the enslaved prayed, traveled, and hid from the master. The descent shifts the visitors’ perspective, bringing them into the soils where the enslaved labored.
Enrique. 2023.“Plot Methodology Video” (Rhino + Lumion + Adobe After Effects)
Access full video here: https://vimeo.com/839926091
As the streams transform the monoculture of sugarcane into a muddy and swamp landscape, the Plot emerges on the edges of the stream. It is created through the accumulation of the soil from the carving of the stream. The Plot is a multispecies garden of nurture and care. Indexes in the ground following the geometry of the cooking pot become spaces to gather around the cooking fire to share stories, exchange seeds and allow for the emergence of new black imaginations. The Plot becomes a space of gratitude and celebration of the land, the water, the plants, and the animals that constitute this landscape.
Abba, Celina, Cavelier, Enrique. 2023.“Material as Evidence” (Rhino + Lumion + Adobe After Effects)
Access full video here: https://vimeo.com/844056833
Rather than glorify the master narrative master’s house, what remains and rooms occupied by the enslaved. spaces as “domesticity’s spatial which we contend are the kitchen, room. Translucent fabric traces permanently transforming with site. A reversal of narrative centers experiences within the afterlife narrative through the and is visible are the enslaved. Kanzler terms these spatial unconscious,”13 kitchen, pantry, and boiler the master’s house, the elements on centers black women’s of the plantation.
Thesis Findings
John Bel Edwards Governor of the State of Louisiana Office of the Governor PO Box 94004 Baton Rouge, LA 70804
Dear Governor Edwards,
We are writing to express our deep concern about the continuing harm caused by the petrochemical industry and plantation tourism in the state. Louisiana has a long and painful history of slavery, violence, and exploitation against Black and Indigenous communities. Many of these communities face the legacy of this violence today through toxic pollution from the petrochemical industry
1) Moratorium on Petrochemical Industry https://risestjames.org/moratorium https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/demand-chase-bank-denounce-formosa-plastics-petrochemicals-plant
The petrochemical industry has a long history of exploiting communities of color for profit. These communities are often targeted for new petrochemical plants and pipelines, disrupting their lives and risking their health. Cancer Alley, Louisiana, is a region along the Mississippi River home to numerous petrochemical plants and refineries. The area has earned its nickname due to the high rates of cancer and other health problems among its residents, who are predominantly Black and Indigenous The petrochemical industry has been linked to numerous health problems, including respiratory issues, congenital disabilities, and cancer. Cancer Alley is no exception, and residents of the region have been diagnosed with cancer at rates significantly higher than the national average. In addition to the health risks, the petrochemical industry also substantially impacts the environment in Cancer Alley. The region has been plagued by toxic spills and leaks from petrochemical facilities, which can contaminate soil and water sources and pose a risk to wildlife and ecosystems.
The continued operation of the petrochemical industry in these areas is perpetuating the harm these communities have experienced for generations. It contributes to environmental racism, a phenomenon in which communities of color bear a disproportionate burden of environmental pollution and harm.
We second the call for a moratorium on the petrochemical industry in areas that have experienced violence from plantations and slavery is necessary to give us the time and space we need to find a way to operate this industry without causing further harm to these communities. The purpose of a moratorium on the petrochemical industry is to give policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders time to develop strategies and policies to reduce the negative impact of these facilities on the environment and public health. Please consider Rise St. James and Friends of the Earth guidelines, listed below, for ways forward.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation 1900 L Street NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036
Dear Cultural Landscape Foundation,
We are writing as landscape architecture students at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Through the design research embedded in our thesis, “Plantation Futures,” we recommend that the Cultural Landscape Foundation change how plantations are categorized in its archive and further expand its effort to diversify its Board of Directors.
1) Recategorization of plantations
Currently, the foundation lists Plantations in its archive under “designed landscape.” Its cultural and historical value is categorized as “Garden and Estate” and “Colonial Garden.” The foundation recognizes all the plantations in its catalog through these same categories. Nowhere in its description does it acknowledge the production of the landscape by the enslaved, their embodied knowledge, their labor, nor the violence under which they built these landscapes.
We believe plantations should not be considered “designed landscapes” or “colonial gardens” but sites of historical and cultural trauma. They were created through the brutal exploitation of enslaved people, who were stripped of their freedom, humanity, and dignity. The landscapes produced on plantations were not just the result of “design” but also of violence, oppression, and exploitation.
Plantations are landscapes that are harmful to the descendant communities, reminding them of their ancestors’ suffering and trauma. The current categorization in your archive reinforces the erasure of their history, knowledge, and contributions to landscape architecture. We strongly suggest that the foundation recategorize plantations in its archive to acknowledge these sites’ historical and cultural significance. By doing so, the foundation can take a step towards a more just and equitable representation of these landscapes.
We suggest that the recategorization of plantations be done in collaboration with descendant communities. Descendant communities have been historically excluded from the narratives of plantation landscapes. They should be given an active role in the creation of a new category that recognizes the trauma but also foregrounds the erased landscapes and narratives of the enslaved. This collaborative effort will allow a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of these landscapes and their complex histories.
