Architecture Portfolio
Cornell University
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Zachary Sherrod
AFTER ALCATRAZ DECARCERATION + DECAY
PROJECT TYPE .................. Academic, Cornell AAP DATE ................................... Fall 2022 DURATION .......................... 15 weeks LOCATION .......................... San Francisco, CA INSTRUCTOR ..................... Ana Paula Ruiz Galindo This project is a study of the contradictory connotations of Alcatraz—a national landmark laden with histories that strike at the heart of American identity politics. It operated as a military fort during the genocide of the Indigenous peoples of California. It served as a penitentiary and became synonymous with inhumane carceral practices in the United States. After its abandonment, it became a platform for Indigenous activists who helped catalyze the Native American civil rights movement. Today, it is operated by the National Park Service and hosts more than 1.4 million visitors annually. Since the closure of Alcatraz in 1963, the prison population of the US has increased sevenfold. As a site of dark tourism, Alcatraz demands a distinct preservation practice which portrays past traumas in a manner that fosters a collective conscience among visitors. Therefore, I propose that future interventions to Alcatraz engage in the physical and figurative deconstruction of the prison.
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Project #1: After Alcatraz
Fall 2022
Architecture Portfolio
GEOPOLITICAL CONTEXT
ALCATRAZ ISLAND - EXISTING CONDITIONS
SAN FRANCISCO BAY - N-S SECTION Cornell University
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Zachary Sherrod
Project #1: After Alcatraz
Fall 2022
Architecture Portfolio
DECONSTRUCTING THE EXPERIENCE
A visit to Alcatraz today takes the form of a procession, beginning at the boat dock and concluding at the prison. Walking up to the cellhouse becomes a sort of ritual ascent of an acropolis to the seat of power on the island. The approach to curation and historic preservation on the island determines the degree to which Alcatraz functions as either a site of conscience or a site of dark tourism. Both during the Occupation in 1969 and Ai Weiwei’s exhibition in 2014, Alcatraz demonstrated its potential as a political platform— as a brand with global recognition. I propose that an aggressive adaptation of the architecture could co-opt the power of this place. Every half hour, 300 people depart Pier 41 to embark on this journey, amounting to more than 1.4 million visitors annually. Here lies the latent potential of Alcatraz. This steady flow of tourists represents an opportunity to use the architecture to reorient visitors towards incarceration in America so they may in turn participate in deconstruction of the prison industrial complex.
DECONSTRUCTING THE POWER MATRIX
Beyond the concrete walls of the cellhouse, the power structure of Alcatraz emerges from its formal characteristics as a prison island. Occupying the center of the Bay, the island has long acted as a beacon of power. While the cellhouse was not designed as a panopticon, the island itself functions like a panopticon on a larger scale. Since its first use as a military fort, Alcatraz has effectively projected the power of the federal government out towards San Francisco, Oakland, and surrounding population centers. This site was chosen in 1934 precisely to send a message to would-be offenders. Alcatraz continues to instill fear by its presence in the Bay and on our TV screens. In an age of mass incarceration, the cultural dominance of Alcatraz reinforces the power structures which uphold the prison industrial complex. Nevertheless, there is an opportunity for future interventions at Alcatraz to fundamentally disrupt the formal basis of its power—to subvert its visual presence with an architecture that contends with its perceived power, centered on the lighthouse which has cast its all-seeing eye across the bay for more than 150 years.
DECONSTRUCTING THE ARCHITECTURE
Current preservation practices at the cellhouse seek to reconstruct its exterior inch by inch to keep the carcass of a brutal building on life support. Concrete poured by incarcerated individuals over a century ago is marketed as memorabilia. I contend the NPS does not fully recognize the role of decay in contextualizing the history they strive to convey. Instead, I propose that the preservation of decay is a more honest and necessary reflection of society’s evolving values. To embrace decay is to challenge the power structure of a place, for architecture left to decay brings about its own undoing. Other structures on Alcatraz, including the warden’s house, were damaged by fire and are preserved as ruins. Structural supports have rendered them safe for tourists, but otherwise the architecture has been left to decay. In effect, the design language of Alcatraz has become the language of public safety. I propose that the architecture of public safety be applied only in concentrated areas occupied by the public while the rest of the building is left to ruin.
Cornell University
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Zachary Sherrod
SUBVERSION OF INCARCERATION This design proposal represents a narrative retelling of the cellhouse which is functionally and formally in conflict with the existing architecture. I propose that future investments in public safety at the cellhouse be constrained to a single pathway through the building, while adjacent areas are left to decay and ruin. Circulation paths serve as a means to transgress the prison complex from one end to the other. This revised progression through the building both recriminates history and reorients visitors to their role dismantling the culture of control which has overtaken American society. The design becomes a rupture through the fabric of the building and a circulation path that puts Alcatraz in a literal and figurative stranglehold. This architecture is an act of rebellion which ends with a flourish at the lighthouse, marking the terminus of the journey.
Project #1: After Alcatraz
Fall 2022
Architecture Portfolio
Cornell University
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Zachary Sherrod
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Project #1: After Alcatraz
Fall 2022
Architecture Portfolio
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OVERGROW The pipeline exits the cellblocks above the old library, which is infilled with demolished concrete and overtaken by the abundant gardens of Alcatraz, exposing the cellblock to life beyond its walls.
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RECLAIM
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The walkway reenters the building into the second-floor administration space, which is dissected to form a diagonal enfilade gallery for incarcerated artists—cutting through the walls of former oppressors.
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REORIENT The terminus of the procession is the lighthouse, which becomes the all-seeing eye by which visitors are reoriented to San Francisco and a society which imprisons more people than any country on earth.
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COMPRESS The entry portal cuts through old cistern walls. The ramp is framed by concentric squares, creating a forced perspective which compresses visitors down to the dimensions of a solitary isolation cell.
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during an era when the U.S. government was committing the genocide of Native Americans.
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At the end of the dungeon corridor, visitors are confronted with a familiar sight from unfamiliar circumstances. Cell bars become the lens through which they view the gateway to freedom.
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The corridor through the old citadel exposes the early histories of the military occupation of Alcatraz,
RECRIMINATE The corridor through the old citadel exposes the early histories of the military occupation of Alcatraz, during an era when the U.S. government was committing the genocide of Native Americans.
At the end of the dungeon corridor, visitors are confronted with a familiar sight from unfamiliar circumstances. Cell bars become the lens through which they view the gateway to freedom.
As the path ascends, the building is torn apart by new architectures. Surgical structural reinforcement become the means by which a new architecture rises from broken bones, to exist beyond its host.
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Cornell University
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Zachary Sherrod
Project #1: After Alcatraz
Fall 2022
Architecture Portfolio
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Zachary Sherrod
DECARCERATION ON DISPLAY Pictured here is the preservation of decay, as the cellhouse on Alcatraz gives way to an architecture that will outlast its host. The exterior landscape of Alcatraz is in constant motion, yet the interior is held in an artificial stasis. Breaking down the architecture then becomes an opportunity to blur the line between the prison and the parkscape. A skeletal walkway constructed from cell bars breaks through the prison walls, exposing systems of incarceration and allowing the abundance of the parkscape to transform the interior. Out of the former hospital ward, a new form emerges from the rubble—an institution which seeks to reconcile incarceration practices at a mass scale—the Federal Project #1: After Alcatraz
Bureau of Decarceration. It represents a vision for an architecture which serves as the public face of a national effort to reverse engineer mass incarceration. The new architecture attaches itself to the structural framing of its host. Reinforcement is strategically placed to secure any new construction in the event of seismic activity, while the existing building fabric is left to crumble. The undertaking is equal parts poetic and political—the physical and figurative realization of decarceration. A heritage site laden with pain becomes the ground upon which a new national identity is formed, emerging from a graveyard of rubble where past atrocities may be put to rest. Fall 2022
Architecture Portfolio
Cornell University
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Zachary Sherrod
CAMP THESEUS
EXPERIMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PROJECT TYPE .................. Academic, Cornell AAP DATE ................................... Summer 2022 DURATION ......................... 2.5 weeks LOCATION ......................... Governor’s Island, New York INSTRUCTORS .................. Lindsey Wikstrom; Jean Suh TEAM MEMBERS ............... Jiawei Wu; Tung Chen; Khushboo Vyas; Brian You In the cycle of seasons and time, between the mundane and sublime, life blooms on a 172-acre semi-artificial island, just five minutes away from the city that never sleeps. This summer camp is envisioned as a response to the events of the Anthropocene, where creative young minds endeavor to reimagine/remember the role of the human as a steward for other forms of life. Distinct from the urban cacophony on the opposite shore, saturated with its sirens, this place is designed to be a scaffold for abundant biodiversity. In the late spring, a vessel of CLT sails from the Southlands, meandering past the mouths of the mighty southern rivers, collecting some of the finest timber of the Southeast. Timber accumulates aboard the ship as its crew processes raw logs and milled pieces into large CLT panels, along the route to Governor’s Island. The site awaits the arrival of both human and non-human, to create a camp of buildings and non-buildings. In early spring, the vessel arrives with its team of timber specialists and skilled artisans. As spring turns to summer, the timber is unraveled, organized, and assembled into newly imagined forms of human and nonhuman habitation, ready for the arrival of campers. The site comes alive with the energy and inquiry of young adults, as environmental stewardship sets its course toward climate action and newly imagined futures.
Belyana barge for timber rafting
Project #2: Camp Theseus
Summer 2022
Architecture Portfolio
IMAGE CREDIT - JIAWEI WU
Cornell University
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Zachary Sherrod
NEXT-GEN FORESTRY In the forests of the Southeast, new technologies intermingle with old to set the stage for the next timber revolution. Nimble machinery and impermanent infrastructures enable single-selection harvest, which promotes old-growth ecologies alongside low-impact industry. Project #2: Camp Theseus
Summer 2022
Architecture Portfolio
IMAGE CREDIT - ALL TEAM MEMBERS
SHIP OF THESEUS As the Ship of Theseus passes by the mouth of each river along the Atlantic coast, the vessel is built from the very timber it transports. With each stop at a construction site, timber is unloaded as necessary for the project, and the ship reorients southward once again. Cornell University
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Zachary Sherrod
ARRIVAL BY BOAT
Project #2: Camp Theseus
DESIGN CREDIT - JIAWEI WU
IMAGE CREDIT - TUNG CHEN
IMAGE CREDIT - ZACHARY SHERROD
DESIGN CREDIT - ZACHARY SHERROD
IMAGE CREDIT - TUNG CHEN
DESIGN CREDIT - KHUSHBOO VYAS
PLATFORM FOR STEWARDSHIP
HABITAT TOWER
Summer 2022
Architecture Portfolio
DESIGN CREDIT - TUNG CHEN
EXPERIMENTAL ECOLOGY ZONES
Cornell University
IMAGE CREDIT - JIAWEI WU
IMAGE CREDIT - TUNG CHEN
IMAGE CREDIT - ZACHARY SHERROD
VIEW FROM DWELLING
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Zachary Sherrod
WHITEAKER HOUSING FINE-GRAINED DENSIFICATION
PROJECT TYPE .................. Academic, Univ. of Oregon DATE ................................... Winter + Spring 2019 DURATION ......................... 20 weeks LOCATION ......................... The Whiteaker, Eugene, OR INSTRUCTORS .................. Howard Davis; Michael Fifield The basis for my final studio project is my Honors College thesis, “Fine-Grained Densification in the Whiteaker Neighborhood,” written under the direction of Professor Howard Davis. With my thesis, I pursued a communitycentered approach to addressing the housing crisis in Eugene. During council meetings and interviews with 16 residents of the Whiteaker, I developed guiding principles for densification that sought to preserve the character and livability of the neighborhood. Based on my analysis of the urban fabric, I selected one block at the heart of the neighborhood for a pilot study of livable density. The key intervention in my proposal is the extension of a dead-end alley through the block to activate a fenced-off city park and create opportunities for residents to build ADUs along the alley. Within this framework, I developed schemes for ten types of housing, suited for people of varying family compositions and economic means. Interspersed throughout the proposal are live-work units, areas for commercial activity, and suggested systems of communal ownership.
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Project #4: Whiteaker Housing
Winter + Spring 2019
Architecture Portfolio
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Zachary Sherrod
THESIS SUMMARY Through this research in the Whiteaker neighborhood of Eugene I investigated alternative approaches by which cities, developers, and community members could come together to envision possibilities for densification. The concept depicted here proposes fine-grained densification as a process by which infill housing may be integrated into the existing fabric and character of a neighborhood.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The central goal of my thesis was to develop a research toolkit to help residents visualize possibilities for density. During interviews with 16 residents of the neighborhood, I walked participants through a visual preference survey of 26 illustrations. Progressing through the images, I asked residents to rate the desirability of each type of housing on a scale of one to ten. While the quantitative results of this survey proved interesting, the greatest value came afterward, when residents used illustrations from the survey to express their ideas and values regarding density with greater specificity.
DESIGN GUIDELINES The synopsis of the results is that residents were generally amenable to diverse forms of infill housing in the neighborhood, so long as it adhered to specific guidelines—apartment buildings should not overlook back yards, the scale of buildings should be appropriate to their context, and every unit should have access to light, air, and views of nature. Most residents also expressed a clear desire to relax guidelines around accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on the basis that alleyway ADUs would provide additional flexibility for homeowners and a foothold for low-income renters. Project #4: Whiteaker Housing
Winter + Spring 2019
Architecture Portfolio
University of Oregon
Cottage Cluster
9 units/acre
3-Story Apartments
30 units/acre
Row House
12 units/acre
3-Story Apartments
30 units/acre
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Zachary Sherrod
SCOBERT PARK
4TH AVENUE ALLEY Address of Lot Dimensions Total Area ‘18 Value Zone
Project #4: Whiteaker Housing
488 Blair Blvd 180’ x 110’ 1.1 Acres $131,000 Special Area Park R-1
5TH Address Length Ave. Area Ave. Value Zone
4th and Polk 350’ 0.37 Acres $300,000 R-1
Winter + Spring 2019
Architecture Portfolio
H AND BLAIR APARTMENTS Address of Lot Dimensions Total Area ‘18 Value Zone
488 Blair Blvd 180’ x 110’ 0.62 Acres $1.2 Million C-2 Site Review
VALLEY RIVER CENTER
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FAIRGROUNDS
University of Oregon
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Zachary Sherrod
Project #4: Whiteaker Housing
Winter + Spring 2019
Architecture Portfolio
PROPOSED ADUs EXISTING ADUs APARTMENTS
$ COMMERCIAL USES
University of Oregon
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Zachary Sherrod
Project #4: Whiteaker Housing
Winter + Spring 2019
Architecture Portfolio
University of Oregon
39 of 73
Zachary Sherrod
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Project #4: Whiteaker Housing
Winter + Spring 2019
Architecture Portfolio COMMERCE
STUDIO (ACCESSIBLE) - 331 SF
LAUNDRY
STUDIO - 313 SF
BIKE SHARE
ROWHOUSE A - 820 SF
LOUNGE
ROWHOUSE B - 986 SF
CAR SHARE CAMERA
University of Oregon
DOUBLE - 786 SF
MIXED-USE SITE DESIGN SINGLE - 618 SF
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Zachary Sherrod
Project #4: Whiteaker Housing
Winter + Spring 2019
Architecture Portfolio
Vinyl plank flooring 2 layers 3/4” CDX plywood 3/8” rubber soundproofing floor mat 3/4” plywood subfloor 9” denim insulation 9 1/2” TJI 210—24” o.c. Soundproofing drywall furring channel Two layers 1/2” gypsum board Wood decking Sleepers 2” XPS rigid insulation, R=10 3/4” plywood 9 1/2” TJI 210—24” o.c. 3/4” plywood Metal lath Stucco
6” slab on grade 2” XPS rigid insulation, R=10 Water proof membrane 3” sand 6” crushed rock
University of Oregon
4” perforated pipe foundation drain 12”x24” perimeter grade beam #4 rebar, 12” o.c.
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Zachary Sherrod
EDISON ELEMENTARY NET-ZERO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PROJECT TYPE .................. Academic, Univ. of Oregon DATE ................................... Winter 2018 DURATION ......................... 10 weeks LOCATION ......................... 1328 E 22nd Ave, Eugene, OR INSTRUCTORS .................. Ihab Elzeyadi TEAM MEMBERS ............... Josh Rosenthal; Valeria Masciotti; With this design for a net-zero elementary school, we integrated sustainable strategies into the student’s educational experience of the building. Landscaping for water retention systems is welcomed into the heart of the building in a series of outdoor classrooms, such that all classrooms benefit from daylighting and long view axes. Shading elements add a playful texture to the facades to call attention to the importance of light. And the building envelope is pulled apart to help students understand the function and importance of the high-performance shell supporting the expressive PV arrays. This project seeks to optimize the performance of a building while fostering environmental stewardship through experiential learning. Attributions: I performed the energy analysis, designed the structure and classrooms in Rhino, drafted the floor plans, exported renderings, and produced all included diagrams.
DOUBLE BAR SCHEME
Project #5: Edison Elementary
INTERLACED VIEW AXES
Winter 2018
Architecture Portfolio
IMAGE CREDIT - JOSH ROSENTHAL
GREEN ROOF RAIN GARDEN
BIOSWALES
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GYMNASIUM • FLOOR AREA 5700 SF • 83 PERCENT OVER DF THRESHOLD OF 3 • AVERAGE ILLUMINATION 6.4 PERCENT
WATER CATCHMENT
University of Oregon
0.0
DAYLIGHT FACTOR
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Zachary Sherrod
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Project #5: Edison Elementary
4. Stack Vent for Peak Cooling Days 5. Monocrystalline Solar Panels 6. Hydrological Learning Landscapes
7. Geothermal Wells 8. Operable Windows and Shutters 9. Light Tube for Lower Classrooms
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IMAGE CREDIT - ZACHARY SHERROD
Winter 2018
NORTHEAST AERIAL VIEW
University of Oregon
MODEL CREDIT - ZACHARY SHERROD
DAYLIGHTING MODEL MODEL CREDIT - VALERIA MASCIOTTI, ZACHARY SHERROD
CAFETERIA INTERIOR IMAGE CREDIT - ZACHARY SHERROD
Architecture Portfolio
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Zachary Sherrod
Project #5: Edison Elementary
Winter 2018
Architecture Portfolio
IMAGE CREDIT - ALL TEAM MEMBERS
University of Oregon
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Zachary Sherrod
THE NEST
MASS-TIMBER COURTHOUSE PROJECT TYPE .................. Academic, Univ. of Oregon DATE ................................... Fall 2017 DURATION ......................... 10 weeks LOCATION ......................... 777 Pearl St, Eugene, OR INSTRUCTORS .................. Judith Sheine; Mark Donofrio TEAM MEMBERS ............... Josh Rosenthal; David Moreno; Spencer Boragine This scheme for a mass-timber courthouse seeks to become a platform for the pursuit of justice and a space in which to ameliorate past injustices. The building aims to convey to plaintiffs and defendants alike that this institution is designed as a space in which all persons are innocent until proven guilty, and only in the light of the full, unadulterated truth are punitive actions to be taken. Our clients requested security, transparency, and a building displaying the core values of Lane County. We achieved this with four pillars of courtrooms, standing within a semi-conditioned atrium that moderates the building’s microclimate. The distinct programmatic elements are each housed in office blocks that front the public streets and protect the civic space within.
S T R E E T
Attributions: For my team, I played a primary role in organizing our work and shaping the narrative behind the design. I devised our initial parti, distributed the building program, contributed to the design of the roof, facades, and courtrooms in Rhino, and laser cut materials for the physical models.
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Project #6: The Nest
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Fall 2017
Architecture Portfolio
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IMAGE CREDIT - DAVID MORENO, ZACHARY SHERROD
IMAGE CREDIT - JOSH ROSENTHAL, ZACHARY SHERROD
CARVE OUT PUBLIC SPACE
DESIGNATE PROGRAM ZONES
LIBERATE COURTROOMS
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Zachary Sherrod
Project #6: The Nest
Fall 2017
Architecture Portfolio
STAFF ENTRY
STAFF GARDEN
IMAGE CREDIT - SPENCER BORAGINE
GRAND ATRIUM
ENTRY PLAZA
University of Oregon
0’
10’ 20’
50’
IMAGE CREDIT - ZACHARY SHERROD
IMAGE CREDIT - JOSH ROSENTHAL, ZACHARY SHERROD
LEVEL 2 - COURTROOMS AND OFFICES
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Zachary Sherrod
Project #6: The Nest
Fall 2017
Architecture Portfolio
MODEL CREDIT - SPENCER BORAGINE, ZACHARY SHERROD
JUNE 21, 7:00 AM
University of Oregon
JUNE 21, 12:00 PM
JUNE 21, 3;00 PM
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Zachary Sherrod
Medium: Acrylic
Fall 2022
Architecture Portfolio
MIMETIC MISINTERPRETATION To reproduce an existing painting is to filter reality through flawed senses and the subconscious tendencies of self expression. Through the repeated reproduction of Emanuel de Witte’s Interior of the Oude Kerk in Delft, I explored shifting perceptions of color and reality under the guidance of Mauricio Pezo and Sofia Von Ellrichshausen
Cornell University
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Zachary Sherrod
Medium: Acrylic
Fall 2022
Architecture Portfolio
A SHIFT IN MOOD With the direction to experiment with the mood of the painting came the freedom to directly engage my intuition. In flooding the interior of the Oude Kerk in Delft, I sought to imbue the painting with a sense of timelessness. By extension, the surfaces took on the green hues of moss and distant memories.
Cornell University
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