On first view these forms appear alien — built only decades earlier— monuments imagined by artists and designers. As unifying symbols of the Yugoslav nation-building project, they commemorate both the defeat of and losses to fascism. Since their creation, these monuments have withstood the breakup of their commissioning country and ensuing wars. Many have been de-badged — stripped of their commemorative meaning through removal of identifying elements. Layer by layer these monuments are re-inscribed with contemporary meaning as graffiti, attempts at removal, and wartime scars shape new narratives. Transformed through time and circumstance, they wield more power in their ruined state. As they continue to change in their post-socialist context these sites accumulate new meaning — their transformation into multivalent signifiers of memory accommodates open dialogue around the past. What follows is an excerpt from 2016 and 2017 fieldwork performed across the former Yugoslav republics and a contextualization of the circumstances surrounding conservation status of a select group of sites.
The majority of the 58 monuments documented are located in Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina respectively. Only seven were documented in Montenegro followed by four in Slovenia. While a larger number were documented in Croatia, only 39% are protected, compared to 75% in Serbia. Of the seven monuments documented in Montenegro, roughly 14% are protected, in comparison to 100% of the monuments documented in Slovenia.
PETROVA GORA
made of reinforced concrete and stainless steel panels and located in Vojnić, Croatia. The memorial commemorates the uprising of the local serb population who joined partisans and fought against fascism during the night between the 13th and 14th of May in 1942. Petrova Gora is a site of some active commemoration, mainly local events, with no restoration investment, and is not protected as a cultural monument.
Due to controversy surrounding the monument’s papers, the monument’s protection status is unclear. OIV, the Croatian national telecom company currently utilizes the monument to house telecommunications equipment/cell towers. Though the monument was designed by famous sculptor, Vojin Bakić, Petrova Gora is considered at high risk for heritage loss due to numerous negative factors working against conservation of the site including active scrapping of stainless steel facade panels in part due to its remote location and proximity to an economically disadvantaged area.
SUTJESKA
Built in 1971 and designed by Miodrag Živković, Ranko Radović, the memorial is made of reinforced concrete and located in Sutjeska National Park, in Tjentište, Bosnia Herzegovina. The memorial commemorates Operation Fall Schwarz on May 15th to June 16th, 1943. Sutjeska is a site of active commemoration, with local and national events, with major restoration investment, and has been protected as a cultural monument by EUROPARC Federation of Nature and National Parks of Europe, Sutjeska National Park, and the ministry of culture at both the local and regional level.
Though a landslide occurred on the site of the monument in 2018, national civic organizations and local anti-fascist groups have worked to keep the site up. It could be inferred that the monument is well-visited, in part due to its inclusion on the tourism website for the region, its significance as a cultural monument of national importance, and the existence of a gift shop on the site. Given the above factors, Monument to the battle of Sutjeska is considered at low risk for heritage loss as it has many positive forces at work both nationally and locally.
Built in 1974 and designed by Jordan Grabulovski and Iskra Grabul, with amphitheater reliefs designed by Petar Mazev, and stained glass by Borko Lazeski, the memorial is made of reinforced concrete and glass and located in Kruševo, Macedonia. The memorial commemorates the fighters and revolutionaries who participated in the Ilinden uprising on August 2nd, 1903., as well as soldiers of the Macedonia National Liberation Struggle 1941-1944. The Makedonium is a site of active commemoration, with local, regional and national events, with major restoration investment, and has been protected as a cultural monument at the local, regional and national level.
The monument has not been vandalized and underwent a contested state-funded restoration from 2014-2017, it was so contested politicians boycotted the unveiling event, as they felt it should not have been restored — Yugoslav heritage stands in direct opposition to far right nationalist agendas. It could be inferred that the monument is well-visited, in part due to its inclusion on the tourism website for the region, its significance as a cultural monument of national importance, and the existence of a gift shop on the site. Given the above factors, the Makedonium is considered at low risk for heritage loss as it has many positive forces at work both nationally and locally.
Built in 1969 and designed by Miodrag Živković & Svetislav Licina, the memorial is made of Aluminum and located in Ostra, Serbia. The memorial commemorates partisan soldiers killed in battle in Čačak, on March 3, 1943. Monument to the Brave at Ostra is a site without active commemoration or official events, with no major restoration or investment, and is not listed as a cultural monument.
Though the monument has been graffitied and de-badged, local antifascist groups work to keep the site up. It could be inferred that the monument is well-visited, in part due to its significance as a cultural monument of national importance. However, the monument does not receive any funding and lacks national protection. In 2005, an orthodox church was built on the monument site, which local antifascist groups opposed. Given the above factors, Monument to the Brave at Ostra is considered at moderately high risk for heritage loss as it has many negative forces at work both nationally and locally.
Monument restoration in progress in 2016.
MONUMENT TO THE LIBERATORS OF KNIN: FIELDWORK
KNIN
Built in 1969 and designed by Grozdan Knežević and Đorđe Romić, Mihael Kajfeš designed the bronze tablets, the memorial is made of reinforced concrete and located in Knin, Croatia. It commemorates members of the National Liberation War who died during the liberation of Knin on November 25th, 1944. Knin is a site without active commemoration and events and has had no major restoration or investment, and remains unprotected
Since the monument has been graffitied, de-badged, scrapped, and destroyed, there has been a limited effort to keep the site up. During the war in the 1990s, it was toppled after being mined and has sat in ruin since. It could be inferred that the monument is not wellvisited, in part due to its neglected state. Given the above factors, Monument to Liberators of Knin is considered at high risk for heritage loss as it has many negative forces at work both nationally and locally.
In its heyday, the monument stood proudly above the city of Knin until it became a casualty of conflict in the nineties. For this site, I was unable to determine the exact location of the monument ahead of arriving. Instead, I had to rely on human infrastructure. I typically ask local bartenders, restaurateurs or in small towns, locals who are out and about if they know where the monument is.
I have a hand drawn map from the owner of the restaurant Tri Lovce. As he drew this diagrammatic map, he described how to get to the monument above the city. He drew through it with me, explaining each part in his best English — take the rotor — at the first junction turn right and drive up toward the castle. Drive along the road to the right of the castle. When I arrived, I did not see any monument remnants or clues about the whereabouts of this particular monument. The castle had a restaurant, so I inquired inside about the monument. I was told to follow the street that I came up until I found a path through the forest that would last about 1000 meters and was given a bit of an eyebrow raise, as if to say not to go there. Only later did I understand that the nuance of the map initially drawn for me. Reluctant to try an overgrown path that was barely perceptible, it was the closest signifier of an entrance I could find. All other areas had mature vegetation flush with the street. Once I began, I noticed the small amount of overgrowth and it became clear that the path was being maintained. The trail seemed to arbitrarily narrow and widen at points, but remained visible as a delineated path. Sometimes the trail would become overgrown, but the size and corresponding age of the trees can be a good indicator of where an old trail that is no longer being maintained begins and ends. As I reached the crest of the hill, the monument came into view and became a proximate idea, with an exact location. In an effort to render it further remote by hiding it from view, the monument was toppled from its base with explosives in 1995. Images on these pages depict the view of the monument in its current state. There has been discussion and a petition to rebuild the monument but with little funding available and money having been spent just last year on a new memorial commemorating the war in the nineties, it seems highly unlikely this will come into fruition. Today, the monument signifies new meaning about resilience in the face of obsolescence.
Spomenik Oslobodiocima Knina | Monument to Liberators of Knin | 1969
Pathway to toppled monument and monument reveal in Knin, Croatia
ICELAND COASTAL: DEEP SITE WORK
research area entails the start of fieldwork documentation, archival research, and fostering connections in Iceland on the built heritage of industrial collapse. This project, entitled Sea Change, will be completed as part of a (pending) fellowship through the American-Scandinavian Foundation. This research builds upon relationships established via an architectural design studio that I developed and taught in 2021 which focused on one such site, the Herring Factory in Djúpavík, as a subject of deep contextual research and imagining possibilities for future use. Through intensive study of these disused sites, this research seeks to underscore the legitimacy of these monuments and former industrial buildings as heritage sites of the modern era as most are unprotected and subject to vandalism, the elements, and purposeful erasure. This work leverages the unfamiliar context of sites in the countries
Sea Change will utilize a phased approach for assessing sites of disuse. First employed in the research project, Spomenik in Flux, this methodology continues to be refined. Beginning with a list of sites provided by the director of the Herring Era Museum, phase one (preliminary site background research, mapping, fieldwork planning) will encompass all preparatory work, beginning with site research prior to arrival in Iceland. Each site will be mapped using GIS after which, routes between sites will be calculated and trips will be planned. As much information as possible about each site will be collected during this phase. With over 80 sites spread across more than 40 locations in Iceland, a focus area will be determined after all sites are mapped. 1020 sites will be selected for inclusion in this iteration of the project based on factors such as scale, number of buildings, geographic location, and state of use. Priority will be granted to the highest impact sites— those containing building clusters, largescale buildings, and sites without current uses. Focusing on the most vulnerable sites will ensure they are documented before further deterioration threatens their integrity. Upon completion of phase one, phase two (archival research and fieldwork) will be completed following routes to mapped locations clustered into each region in Iceland. Working one region at a time, each site will be documented thoroughly through audiovisual recording, situated observation, and relational diagramming. Archival research will serve as a lens to the past to build a deeper understanding of the contemporary context of these sites and will serve as a means of building identification at each site. Beginning with the Herring Era Museum archives, historic photographs, and other informative historical materials will be used to assess the years of operation of each site as well as identify processing and catch data. After the fieldwork and archival research for this iteration of the project is complete, it will be analyzed in phase three (analysis) to assess each site and categorize according to condition, what remains, their cultural significance, the type of site, any proximities identified through fieldwork, historic use, emergent use, and current use (if any). Aggregated site and region data will be used to depict the context. Quantitative and Qualitative methods will be used
If everything (including us!) is a vibration of particles and we’re all made of the same vibrations/energy (NRG) and interconnected (that NRG could be called source/ spirit/god or maybe love), and if plants/earth/mountains/water/other animals/rocks/ insects/the wind etc. are all made of the same stuff, and we can tune in to/with each other (we effect / impact one another - regulation of breathing/emotions/we ARE resonant bodies — could intuition be considered deep listening to the more-thanhuman inhabitants of this world?) in meditative states, the boundaries dissolve between me/other. I feel that diffusion (it has a hazy feeling between what is self and what is non-self) when deeply connected. Is love the vibration that binds us as one?
We spend most of our time in the realm of the vague, but what if we were to work on living in the realm of specificity and fine-grained difference and understanding those nuanced differences as opportunities? What if we could allow the past to simultaneously coexist with the present and work toward the future to produce something that has an implicit flexibility that could avoid the trap of becoming rendered useless by future technology. How do we produce an architecture that responds to now and can continuously evolve and respond to what has yet to come?
What if I could use walks as a way to understand a site and as a way to distance myself and others from what already know about a place — using it as a tool, as a way to distance myself and others from assumptions that we hold and the vague generalities wrapped up in those assumptions. Perhaps this could be used as a tool to better understand context which may require a deeper reading.
I want to imagine an architecture that anticipates the future. And I simultaneously want to imagine an architecture that feels deeply connected to the past. And I want to practice in such a way that I respond to what’s already here and seek out opportunities based on what exists. I want to practice in such a way that we can build new things in places that have deep difficult histories without forgetting those histories. And I think that sometimes this is made possible by becoming unfamiliar with places already familiar or at least seeking out the unfamiliar in the familiar places thought to be already known.
My practice is rooted in deep site work, an immersive approach to documenting landscapes and environments through field recording, photography, video, and observation. Engaging with sites over time, I explore their rhythms, textures, and histories, capturing both the seen and the unseen—the echoes of past and present that shape each place. Through field recording, I gather the sonic imprints of a location—wind moving through abandoned structures, the distant calls of wildlife, or the resonance of shifting geological formations. These soundscapes serve as a form of storytelling, revealing layers of experience beyond the visual. My photography and video work focus on the interplay between landscape, memory, and impermanence. Whether documenting remote wilderness, industrial ruins, or liminal spaces, I attempt to create images that evoke presence and transformation. Light, weather, and time become active participants in the narrative, shaping each frame and sequence. Grounded in observation, my work moves beyond surface impressions. I integrate field notes, historical context, and site-specific reflections to construct a nuanced understanding of place. This process-driven methodology allows me to uncover hidden narratives and ephemeral moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. Together, these elements form a multisensory archive—a way of listening to, seeing, and engaging with landscapes on a deeper level. My work is an invitation to slow down, to witness, and to consider the evolving relationship between place and time.
CONJOINED
Conjoined was a collaborative installation with Sarah Barrett, created as part of our studies at Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. The project was a site-specific tensile fabric installation designed to visually bridge a small stream, integrating the natural elements of the landscape into its form and purpose.
The installation was conceived as a narrative about connection and reconnection, drawing inspiration from the experience of two people who separate on a trail and walk alone, only to find themselves drawn back together at a specific point—where the stream bends and a crooked tree arches overhead. This spot becomes a place of convergence, where the flow of the natural world mirrors the paths of the individuals. The structure symbolically links these two journeys, creating a physical bridge across the stream that offers a moment of reunion.
The installation also invites solo walkers to encounter one side of the structure, prompting them to navigate across the stream by any means possible, with the intuitive knowledge that something lies beyond. This dual experience—of connection and discovery—reflects the cyclical and interconnected nature of the natural world, where boundaries are fluid, and paths often converge in unexpected ways.
By working with the site’s natural contours and emphasizing the relationship between the fabric and the surrounding environment, Conjoined not only creates a physical connection across the stream but also reinforces the larger connection to nature itself. The installation acts as a gentle reminder of the ways in which our lives, much like the landscape, are shaped by the flow of time and place, inviting moments of reflection and reconnection with the world around us.
Contemplative moment at Conjoined
The piece was pre-fabricated in studio. All panels were sewn together, each piece had scalloped edges reinforced with PTFE glass fiber material to strengthen the form. Along with the forms, all the three cable nets were pre-fabricated in studio, transported to site and erected in as little time as possible, performing all anchoring, tweaking and prestressing on site, in order to tension the fabric to a point that it resists deflection under live load cases, such as wind and snow loads.
ENMESHEDSTUDIES
Enmeshed Study 001: Installation in northern Michigan. Tensile collaboration with three trees. Materials: Neon Pink Paracord 550, steel ring, ground anchors
I have been experimenting with a series of site-sensitive mesh structures, each scaled to my body and crafted from paracord using traditional net-making techniques and no-impact construction methods. These structures are my way of exploring and embodying the concept of interconnection—the idea that everything is linked, from the natural world to the human experience, and beyond. The process itself reflects this interconnectedness, where each knot, each weave, becomes a symbol of the invisible threads that bind us to the environment and the more-than-human world.
The process begins with scouting locations—each site carefully chosen for its unique energy and relationship to the surrounding landscape. I use intentional meditation to deepen my connection to the space, allowing my intuition to guide me in assessing the suitability of the site. This meditative approach is key: it reawakens my sense of interconnectedness, inviting me to tune into the subtle cues and rhythms of the natural world, from the textures of the land to the sounds of the wind, the movements of animals, and the shifts in light.
Once I’ve established a deep connection to the place, I begin constructing the mesh structures. These structures act as “connective tissue,” both physically and symbolically, within the landscape. They serve to highlight the relationships between the earth, the sky, and the more-than-human elements—whether that be the plants, animals, or other forces that exist within the site. The weaving of the paracord itself becomes a form of labor that is both meditative and meaningful: it is a quiet, deliberate act that mirrors the slow, steady processes of nature, while also emphasizing the importance of non-exploitative, no-impact construction. By using minimal materials and creating something ephemeral yet deeply rooted in the site, the structures embody the idea that connection does not require domination or permanence, but rather, an acknowledgment of the transitory and interconnected nature of all things.
Ultimately, these site-specific works invite a dialogue between the human, the natural, and the more-than-human, offering a space where the boundaries between them can blur and where deeper, more intuitive forms of engagement with the environment can emerge. This practice is not just about creating physical structures, but about fostering a deeper, more attuned relationship with the world around us.
Enmeshed Study 002: Installation in northern Michigan. Hanging collaboration with three trees. Materials: Neon Pink Paracord 550
Enmeshed Study 002: Details
Enmeshed Study 003: Installation in northern Michigan. Tensile collaboration with one tree. Materials: Neon Pink Paracord 550, screw eye, ring, carabiner, misc hardware
Enmeshed Study 003: Details
OBJECTDESIGN
object desi G n
All the objects featured here were designed and crafted by me, inspired by the organic forms and natural structures I observe in the more-thanhuman world.
The slipcast porcelain vessels of “Blades” rest within a hand-built stoneware base, reflecting a balance of form and function fundamental to design.
“Heavy” is a sculptural piece featuring a CMU interior and plywood ribs that support sheets of acrylic, forming a transparent box. This design creates a dynamic contrast between the solid structure of the CMU and the delicate, clear inlay of the acrylic.
“Socket,” a vacuum-formed plastic tea light dish, draws on the duality of the eye—both its protrusion and its hollow—capturing the tension between presence and absence.
The ikebana vase, created using slip casting techniques and a three-part mold process, evokes the way nature shapes and holds space for life to thrive.
Each piece represents my ongoing exploration of materiality, craftsmanship, and the natural environment, forging connections between human creation and the world around us.
ABOVE: Blades, TOP RIGHT: Socket, BOTTOM RIGHT: Heavy
MOREREAL
MORE REAL explores the question of “studio culture” in architecture schools to initiate honest and vulnerable dialogue about what is and isn’t working in our studios, as a means to cultivate positive studio environments where students feel ownership, agency, and support. This co-authored action was designed and conducted in collaboration with Emily Kutil. We developed a survey of architecture faculty during the Fall 2019 ACSA Conference, Less Talk | More Action, which asked respondents, “What is your experience of studio culture?” Using a workshop format to share and discuss the responses, the authors sparked meaningful conversation amongst participants. The following is visual documentation of the survey and collection method used, social media presence, and the resulting workshop conversation.
MORE REAL Survey collection box design: laser-cut Bristol board spray-painted and flat-packed for assembly upon arrival.
MORE REAL Instagram account
MORE REAL, was completed in collaboration with Emily Kutil and explores the question of “studio culture” in architecture schools. The designers conducted a survey of architecture faculty during the Fall 2019 ACSA Conference, Less Talk |
More Action, which asked respondents, “What is your experience of f studio culture?” Using a workshop format to share and discuss the responses, the project sparked meaningful conversation amongst participants. The following is visual documentation of the survey and collection n method used.
Survey collection
design: laser-cut Bristol board spray-painted and flatpacked for assembly upon arrival.
MORE REAL
box
MORE REAL Survey design.
MORE REAL Survey collection box and surveys in the wild.
MORE REAL Survey design and images of workshop in progress
MICRO-MONUMENT WORKSHOP
This work highlights a collaborative workshop I coled for ArcPrep, an architecture program for high school students in Detroit. The one-day workshop focused on exploring the concept of monumental form. We kicked off with an interactive talk that expanded the definition of architecture to include monuments, discussing the differences between figural and abstract monuments using examples from Detroit. We explored the many reasons monuments are built and what they represent, before diving into a discussion of the abstract monuments I’ve researched in former Yugoslavia. These monuments, designed to unify a diverse range of people during a time of political and cultural division, allowed for multiple interpretations of history and memory, something that was not possible with figural monuments.
One key question we posed to the students was why they thought people wanted to take down Confederate monuments, sparking a rich conversation about how these figural monuments, which commemorate individuals who fought to preserve slavery, symbolize oppression and leave no room for alternative viewpoints or interpretations.
The hands-on portion of the workshop involved students creating single-use molds for Rockite casting to generate their own monumental forms. Students experimented with paper folding and the interplay of solid and void spaces to conceptualize and craft their own micro-monuments. I am particularly grateful for the collaborative support of Sara Timberlake and YT Oh, Michigan-Mellon Design Fellows, whose preparation and guidance in paper folding techniques helped students gain practical skills before the workshop even began. Their partnership made this workshop not only possible but deeply enriching for everyone involved.
Abstract monuments from Spomenik in Flux research project Workshop talk, painting mold release,
VARIOUS STUDENTS - FINAL MONUMENTAL FORMS
Students create the form work and prepare materials
Students pose with their mini-monuments
CONTEXTMATTERS INTERNATIONALSPRING SCHOOL
I collaborated with the Croatian NGO SF:ius as part of their platform, Inappropriate Monuments, to create, host, and promote an international spring school for architecture students in Zagreb called Context Matters. Inappropriate Monuments is a multidisciplinary group composed of philosophers, ethnographers, and historians, and we worked together to bring this unique program to life. The spring school hosted students from Detroit Mercy and the University of Zagreb, engaging them in a four-day intensive weekend filled with site visits to memorial areas, a tour of an architecture firm, and presentations by an interdisciplinary team of designers.
Our team led lectures on history, memorial sites, and the importance of context, while I facilitated workshops on photography, diagramming, site analysis, and design as the only designer on the team. The students worked in international groups on a design charette, tasked with re-imagining a new use for a large, neglected memorial site and its multi-story building located on a mountain just outside Zagreb. The charette results were presented in a public forum at the Architecture School at the University of Zagreb, sparking a lively discussion on themes of memorials, abandonment, memory, and place.
This international program emphasized the value of cross-cultural dialogue around heritage conservation and building reuse. It allowed the host community to gain fresh perspectives from external viewpoints, while visitors could explore challenges similar to those in their own contexts, free from the constraints of the familiar. This process of defamiliarization lies at the heart of my collaborative approach and informs how I engage with students in thinking critically about design and place.
Monumental Astronomy: final charette work from Mia Martinovic + Tyler Younes
Students on Monument Site Visits at Petrova Gora and Dotrišcina
