Answers on a postcard: how would you do technology differently?

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Tourism as heritage: uncovering Hubert Bebb’s tourist vernacular in Gatlinburg.

According to Park visitor statistics Gatlinburg, Tennessee rates as the most heavily visited national park in the United States; as a gateway community and the official entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, its downtown landscape remains cemented in the minds of many across the nation. Through a context based visual analysis utilizing Maxwell’s two-way stretch theory, the researcher traced the origins and defining characteristics of this Gatlinburg aesthetic – the Tourist Vernacular – that evolved primarily through the work of one architect: Hubert Bebb. Through visual analysis, Bebb emerged as the key architect who, over the course of fifty years, not only created hybrids informed by the existing built environment of Gatlinburg, but inserted a new prototype and subsequent hybrids that came to define much of the downtown landscape. Bebb’s early work sits as a response to the buildings of the settlement school era, established in 1912. With precedents from this development, he augmented materials and forms to buildings in a time when government officials conceptualized and developed the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, authorized in 1926 and formally dedicated in 1940, an era characterized by a boom in construction as a result of increased tourism. His work is most particularly influential in the third quarter of the twentieth century when businesses and community leaders, including Bebb himself, shaped a place image consistent with visitor expectations. Utilizing Bebb’s Tourist Vernacular, designers and business leaders have transformed the built environment in the last several decades. Correspondingly, the aesthetic forms serve as the basis for such visionary changes as “The Greening of Gatlinburg” and the Gatlinburg Vision Statement, alongside the completion of studies and guidelines that affect the physical characteristics and visual aspects of the downtown, calling for authenticity in the evolved Tourist Vernacular. Touching on historical influences, this analysis speaks to a series of stylistic genre in Gatlinburg’s mid-twentieth century commercial buildings, while also linking to work that continues the aesthetics and philosophies of Bebb’s architectural endeavors. The study shows readers glimpses of one community’s evolving architectural lexicon shaped largely by tourist needs and expectations, thus providing a useful approach to other recreational landscapes throughout the nation

Strata: A Geophotographic Fiction

What if any relevance does Robert Smithson’s conceptual writing have in provoking an ontological discussion to expand conceptual thinking on artistic representations in contemporary art? I hope to open up creative geopolitical imaginaries to expand on processes of understanding, through the creation of a recent archival history of materiality. I would propose an elaboration of Smithson’s idea of ‘speculative geology’ referred to in his project, ‘Strata: a Geophotographic Fiction, (1970), as setting the parameter for my archive. ‘Strata’ is described as a homage to the artistic imagination of geological time and the inevitable accumulation of entropy and decay. I was struck by the artist’s statement that his materials were of the earth but his subject was the immensity of geologic time. Additionally, the paradigmatic potential of art to provide shorthand access to the subject of representation of the Anthropocene is discussed by K. Robertson in her article titled, ‘Plastiglomerate’. The on-going archive which I am in the process of compiling will situate itself in ‘Land Art’ pieces such as the work of Robert Smithson, to ‘Plastiglomerates’, as well as create a methodology for adding to the archive through the analysis of materiality, using Kent International airport as a prototype. Through my research vehicle ARCA I recorded the now decommissioned Kent International Airport, specifically the 2749m runway built during the Second World War; too costly to dig up, sitting on a substrate of a depth of 3 to 5 metres. As proposals for its future are debated, the question arises as to how the nature of the materiality of the site and a consideration for its place in a geological time span, might influence a proposal for its future use? My own methodology, which would add to the documentation, draws on forensic mapping techniques, thereby creating an empirical build-up of knowledge through methods used in archaeological digs, computational photography & Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI). These techniques are more commonly used in the field of forensic science, for example in imaging footprint and tyre mark. I will build up a taxonomy of objects which are read and analysed as relational to their environment, thereby situated in the material, but relational to a more expanded field thereby addressing the transcalar

The Phenomena of Branding Places: Waikiki

This doctoral project focuses on the ambiguous phenomenon of branding places, attempting to clarify its content, form, and nature. The goal of this investigation is to analyze conceptually how the precise mode of branding places differs from branding products. Through critical analysis, the ways in which places are branded as commodities are deconstructed and evaluated. Although, there are positive aspects associated with branding as a mode of place-making and place-thinking, there are also various contradictions and paradoxical aspects that require clarification. Examining this phenomenon through its functions, instruments, and motivations, I aim to reveal the structure and nature of branding places. scope This investigation has two scopes. One scope will analyze the general nature of branding with a focus on branding products versus places. The second scope will be a more specific and precise investigation of a brand place, which will result in useful empirical materials and information. Waikiki, located in Honolulu, Hawai’i, will be the brand place for the second scope of this investigation. methodology Branding places is a complex and layered topic for exploration. Thus, the systems and methods of inquiry for this investigation will take a mixed approach. Case study research is conducted as the primary method of investigation. Observational research is utilized to decipher this phenomenon of branding places in a natural setting. Surveys, conducted on site in Waikiki, allow for a better understanding of specific aspects in relation to this research topic, from multiple perspectives. Comparative analysis is utilized for the articulation of complex relationships between the branding of products versus places. The examination of branding reveals the image as a prominent characteristic. Hence, this investigation will utilize the image as a means of deconstructing and analyzing the branding of places. Visual rhetoric is the prominent framework through which communication and meaning are analyzed. theory This project anticipates that the prospect of branding places poses several contradictions. Branding has come into the paradigm of place-making and architecture from the realm of product marketing. While places are currently being branded in a similar fashion as products, there are fundamental differences between them. Theoretically, places are not capable of being holistically controlled in the same way that products are. Places cannot really be packaged and sold in the same way as products. Metaphorically speaking, places do not fit into a box or brand package because they are far too dynamic and constantly in flux. Nevertheless, places are being branded. This study will attempt to critically analyze the tension, ambiguity, and validity of branding places.This doctoral project focuses on the ambiguous phenomenon of branding places, attempting to clarify its content, form, and nature. The goal of this investigation is to analyze conceptually how the precise mode of branding places differs from branding products. Through critical analysis, the ways in which places are branded as commodities are deconstructed and evaluated. Although, there are positive aspects associated with branding as a mode of place-making and place-thinking, there are also various contradictions and paradoxical aspects that require clarification. Examining this phenomenon through its functions, instruments, and motivations, I aim to reveal the structure and nature of branding places. scope This investigation has two scopes. One scope will analyze the general nature of branding with a focus on branding products versus places. The second scope will be a more specific and precise investigation of a brand place, which will result in useful empirical materials and information. Waikiki, located in Honolulu, Hawai’i, will be the brand place for the second scope of this investigation. methodology Branding places is a complex and layered topic for exploration. Thus, the systems and methods of inquiry for this investigation will take a mixed approach. Case study research is conducted as the primary method of investigation. Observational research is utilized to decipher this phenomenon of branding places in a natural setting. Surveys, conducted on site in Waikiki, allow for a better understanding of specific aspects in relation to this research topic, from multiple perspectives. Comparative analysis is utilized for the articulation of complex relationships between the branding of products versus places. The examination of branding reveals the image as a prominent characteristic. Hence, this investigation will utilize the image as a means of deconstructing and analyzing the branding of places. Visual rhetoric is the prominent framework through which communication and meaning are analyzed. theory This project anticipates that the prospect of branding places poses several contradictions. Branding has come into the paradigm of place-making and architecture from the realm of product marketing. While places are currently being branded in a similar fashion as products, there are fundamental differences between them. Theoretically, places are not capable of being holistically controlled in the same way that products are. Places cannot really be packaged and sold in the same way as products. Metaphorically speaking, places do not fit into a box or brand package because they are far too dynamic and constantly in flux. Nevertheless, places are being branded. This study will attempt to critically analyze the tension, ambiguity, and validity of branding places.This doctoral project focuses on the ambiguous phenomenon of branding places, attempting to clarify its content, form, and nature. The goal of this investigation is to analyze conceptually how the precise mode of branding places differs from branding products. Through critical analysis, the ways in which places are branded as commodities are deconstructed and evaluated. Although, there are positive aspects associated with branding as a mode of place-making and place-thinking, there are also various contradictions and paradoxical aspects that require clarification. Examining this phenomenon through its functions, instruments, and motivations, I aim to reveal the structure and nature of branding places. scope This investigation has two scopes. One scope will analyze the general nature of branding with a focus on branding products versus places. The second scope will be a more specific and precise investigation of a brand place, which will result in useful empirical materials and information. Waikiki, located in Honolulu, Hawai’i, will be the brand place for the second scope of this investigation. methodology Branding places is a complex and layered topic for exploration. Thus, the systems and methods of inquiry for this investigation will take a mixed approach. Case study research is conducted as the primary method of investigation. Observational research is utilized to decipher this phenomenon of branding places in a natural setting. Surveys, conducted on site in Waikiki, allow for a better understanding of specific aspects in relation to this research topic, from multiple perspectives. Comparative analysis is utilized for the articulation of complex relationships between the branding of products versus places. The examination of branding reveals the image as a prominent characteristic. Hence, this investigation will utilize the image as a means of deconstructing and analyzing the branding of places. Visual rhetoric is the prominent framework through which communication and meaning are analyzed. theory This project anticipates that the prospect of branding places poses several contradictions. Branding has come into the paradigm of place-making and architecture from the realm of product marketing. While places are currently being branded in a similar fashion as products, there are fundamental differences between them. Theoretically, places are not capable of being holistically controlled in the same way that products are. Places cannot really be packaged and sold in the same way as products. Metaphorically speaking, places do not fit into a box or brand package because they are far too dynamic and constantly in flux. Nevertheless, places are being branded. This study will attempt to critically analyze the tension, ambiguity, and validity of branding places.This doctoral project focuses on the ambiguous phenomenon of branding places, attempting to clarify its content, form, and nature. The goal of this investigation is to analyze conceptually how the precise mode of branding places differs from branding products. Through critical analysis, the ways in which places are branded as commodities are deconstructed and evaluated. Although, there are positive aspects associated with branding as a mode of place-making and place-thinking, there are also various contradictions and paradoxical aspects that require clarification. Examining this phenomenon through its functions, instruments, and motivations, I aim to reveal the structure and nature of branding places. scope This investigation has two scopes. One scope will analyze the general nature of branding with a focus on branding products versus places. The second scope will be a more specific and precise investigation of a brand place, which will result in useful empirical materials and information. Waikiki, located in Honolulu, Hawai’i, will be the brand place for the second scope of this investigation. methodology Branding places is a complex and layered topic for exploration. Thus, the systems and methods of inquiry for this investigation will take a mixed approach. Case study research is conducted as the primary method of investigation. Observational research is utilized to decipher this phenomenon of branding places in a natural setting. Surveys, conducted on site in Waikiki, allow for a better understanding of specific aspects in relation to this research topic, from multiple perspectives. Comparative analysis is utilized for the articulation of complex relationships between the branding of products versus places. The examination of branding reveals the image as a prominent characteristic. Hence, this investigation will utilize the image as a means of deconstructing and analyzing the branding of places. Visual rhetoric is the prominent framework through which communication and meaning are analyzed. theory This project anticipates that the prospect of branding places poses several contradictions. Branding has come into the paradigm of place-making and architecture from the realm of product marketing. While places are currently being branded in a similar fashion as products, there are fundamental differences between them. Theoretically, places are not capable of being holistically controlled in the same way that products are. Places cannot really be packaged and sold in the same way as products. Metaphorically speaking, places do not fit into a box or brand package because they are far too dynamic and constantly in flux. Nevertheless, places are being branded. This study will attempt to critically analyze the tension, ambiguity, and validity of branding places.This doctoral project focuses on the ambiguous phenomenon of branding places, attempting to clarify its content, form, and nature. The goal of this investigation is to analyze conceptually how the precise mode of branding places differs from branding products. Through critical analysis, the ways in which places are branded as commodities are deconstructed and evaluated. Although, there are positive aspects associated with branding as a mode of place-making and place-thinking, there are also various contradictions and paradoxical aspects that require clarification. Examining this phenomenon through its functions, instruments, and motivations, I aim to reveal the structure and nature of branding places. scope This investigation has two scopes. One scope will analyze the general nature of branding with a focus on branding products versus places. The second scope will be a more specific and precise investigation of a brand place, which will result in useful empirical materials and information. Waikiki, located in Honolulu, Hawai’i, will be the brand place for the second scope of this investigation. methodology Branding places is a complex and layered topic for exploration. Thus, the systems and methods of inquiry for this investigation will take a mixed approach. Case study research is conducted as the primary method of investigation. Observational research is utilized to decipher this phenomenon of branding places in a natural setting. Surveys, conducted on site in Waikiki, allow for a better understanding of specific aspects in relation to this research topic, from multiple perspectives. Comparative analysis is utilized for the articulation of complex relationships between the branding of products versus places. The examination of branding reveals the image as a prominent characteristic. Hence, this investigation will utilize the image as a means of deconstructing and analyzing the branding of places. Visual rhetoric is the prominent framework through which communication and meaning are analyzed. theory This project anticipates that the prospect of branding places poses several contradictions. Branding has come into the paradigm of place-making and architecture from the realm of product marketing. While places are currently being branded in a similar fashion as products, there are fundamental differences between them. Theoretically, places are not capable of being holistically controlled in the same way that products are. Places cannot really be packaged and sold in the same way as products. Metaphorically speaking, places do not fit into a box or brand package because they are far too dynamic and constantly in flux. Nevertheless, places are being branded. This study will attempt to critically analyze the tension, ambiguity, and validity of branding places.This doctoral project focuses on the ambiguous phenomenon of branding places, attempting to clarify its content, form, and nature. The goal of this investigation is to analyze conceptually how the precise mode of branding places differs from branding products. Through critical analysis, the ways in which places are branded as commodities are deconstructed and evaluated. Although, there are positive aspects associated with branding as a mode of place-making and place-thinking, there are also various contradictions and paradoxical aspects that require clarification. Examining this phenomenon through its functions, instruments, and motivations, I aim to reveal the structure and nature of branding places. scope This investigation has two scopes. One scope will analyze the general nature of branding with a focus on branding products versus places. The second scope will be a more specific and precise investigation of a brand place, which will result in useful empirical materials and information. Waikiki, located in Honolulu, Hawai’i, will be the brand place for the second scope of this investigation. methodology Branding places is a complex and layered topic for exploration. Thus, the systems and methods of inquiry for this investigation will take a mixed approach. Case study research is conducted as the primary method of investigation. Observational research is utilized to decipher this phenomenon of branding places in a natural setting. Surveys, conducted on site in Waikiki, allow for a better understanding of specific aspects in relation to this research topic, from multiple perspectives. Comparative analysis is utilized for the articulation of complex relationships between the branding of products versus places. The examination of branding reveals the image as a prominent characteristic. Hence, this investigation will utilize the image as a means of deconstructing and analyzing the branding of places. Visual rhetoric is the prominent framework through which communication and meaning are analyzed. theory This project anticipates that the prospect of branding places poses several contradictions. Branding has come into the paradigm of place-making and architecture from the realm of product marketing. While places are currently being branded in a similar fashion as products, there are fundamental differences between them. Theoretically, places are not capable of being holistically controlled in the same way that products are. Places cannot really be packaged and sold in the same way as products. Metaphorically speaking, places do not fit into a box or brand package because they are far too dynamic and constantly in flux. Nevertheless, places are being branded. This study will attempt to critically analyze the tension, ambiguity, and validity of branding places.This doctoral project focuses on the ambiguous phenomenon of branding places, attempting to clarify its content, form, and nature. The goal of this investigation is to analyze conceptually how the precise mode of branding places differs from branding products. Through critical analysis, the ways in which places are branded as commodities are deconstructed and evaluated. Although, there are positive aspects associated with branding as a mode of place-making and place-thinking, there are also various contradictions and paradoxical aspects that require clarification. Examining this phenomenon through its functions, instruments, and motivations, I aim to reveal the structure and nature of branding places. scope This investigation has two scopes. One scope will analyze the general nature of branding with a focus on branding products versus places. The second scope will be a more specific and precise investigation of a brand place, which will result in useful empirical materials and information. Waikiki, located in Honolulu, Hawai’i, will be the brand place for the second scope of this investigation. methodology Branding places is a complex and layered topic for exploration. Thus, the systems and methods of inquiry for this investigation will take a mixed approach. Case study research is conducted as the primary method of investigation. Observational research is utilized to decipher this phenomenon of branding places in a natural setting. Surveys, conducted on site in Waikiki, allow for a better understanding of specific aspects in relation to this research topic, from multiple perspectives. Comparative analysis is utilized for the articulation of complex relationships between the branding of products versus places. The examination of branding reveals the image as a prominent characteristic. Hence, this investigation will utilize the image as a means of deconstructing and analyzing the branding of places. Visual rhetoric is the prominent framework through which communication and meaning are analyzed. theory This project anticipates that the prospect of branding places poses several contradictions. Branding has come into the paradigm of place-making and architecture from the realm of product marketing. While places are currently being branded in a similar fashion as products, there are fundamental differences between them. Theoretically, places are not capable of being holistically controlled in the same way that products are. Places cannot really be packaged and sold in the same way as products. Metaphorically speaking, places do not fit into a box or brand package because they are far too dynamic and constantly in flux. Nevertheless, places are being branded. This study will attempt to critically analyze the tension, ambiguity, and validity of branding places.This doctoral project focuses on the ambiguous phenomenon of branding places, attempting to clarify its content, form, and nature. The goal of this investigation is to analyze conceptually how the precise mode of branding places differs from branding products. Through critical analysis, the ways in which places are branded as commodities are deconstructed and evaluated. Although, there are positive aspects associated with branding as a mode of place-making and place-thinking, there are also various contradictions and paradoxical aspects that require clarification. Examining this phenomenon through its functions, instruments, and motivations, I aim to reveal the structure and nature of branding places. scope This investigation has two scopes. One scope will analyze the general nature of branding with a focus on branding products versus places. The second scope will be a more specific and precise investigation of a brand place, which will result in useful empirical materials and information. Waikiki, located in Honolulu, Hawai’i, will be the brand place for the second scope of this investigation. methodology Branding places is a complex and layered topic for exploration. Thus, the systems and methods of inquiry for this investigation will take a mixed approach. Case study research is conducted as the primary method of investigation. Observational research is utilized to decipher this phenomenon of branding places in a natural setting. Surveys, conducted on site in Waikiki, allow for a better understanding of specific aspects in relation to this research topic, from multiple perspectives. Comparative analysis is utilized for the articulation of complex relationships between the branding of products versus places. The examination of branding reveals the image as a prominent characteristic. Hence, this investigation will utilize the image as a means of deconstructing and analyzing the branding of places. Visual rhetoric is the prominent framework through which communication and meaning are analyzed. theory This project anticipates that the prospect of branding places poses several contradictions. Branding has come into the paradigm of place-making and architecture from the r

Leave blank (2009/2010)

Leave blank (2009/2010

In the Vernacular: Photography of the Everyday

This is the catalogue of the exhibition "In the Vernacular" at Boston University Art Gallery

Sun Bathing in the Salt Pond Re-making the Image of Tropical Tourism in Antigua and Barbuda

A tropical paradise – lush green palm trees and white sandy beaches – is what comes to mind when a tourist envisions the perfect Caribbean destination. Yet, ironically this idealized nature is highly transformed by tourism itself. Tourism is one of the most destructive activities in coastal zones: mined white sand is deposited to replenish eroding beaches or create new ones; wetlands are dredged and filled for beach front resort development; and resort vegetation is heavily watered in countries that face water scarcity. This thesis exposes how these frictions are hidden from the idealized images of tropical tourism and questions the role these images play in intensifying three main contradictions of Global Tourism. Antigua and Barbuda, a small twin-island nation in the North-East region of the Caribbean Sea, is one of the most extreme cases of a national economy relying on tourism in the world; 80% of their Gross Domestic Product is generated by Global Tourism and its related activities1. While tourism in Antigua and Barbuda has been extremely successful in economic terms, natural ecosystems have been sacrificed in its pursuit. This thesis proposes new narratives which re-make three dominant postcard images of global tourism in Antigua. Sleeping on the Reef attempts to alter the role of the quintessential beach front developments at Dickenson’s Bay. From disruptive intruder to active participant, the development itself provides the structural framework for an artificial reef. This generates new habitats, expands micro-economies, and re-establishes protective ecosystems. Hiking the Landfill endeavours to combine two generated wastes of Cruise Ship Tourism - dredged fill and solid waste - to reconstruct The Flashes salt marsh landscape which was buried by these excesses. Sunbathing in the Salt Pond challenges the artificial and privatized landscape created by the Jolly Harbour development by re-positioning tourism as a node, rather than a container, within a much larger network of public and ecological programming. The deconstruction of the resort integrates it within its place; the Jolly Harbour Golf Course Fairway is eroded away, eliminating the need for fertilizers and excess water consumption; and an expanded coastline allows for greater public access

I\u27m Your Perfect Girl

I’m Your Perfect Girl is a thesis exhibition of glitch-inspired painting and video self-portraiture that studies the desires, failures, and dissonance associated with portraying an idealized self for a digital audience. Adopting the perfect girl persona online has never been easier; however, the physical and emotional roles society expects women to fulfill have never been further out of reach. In this exhibition, I consider how those of us coming of age with the internet construct alternative identities online—fantasies, really—that bear little resemblance to the person “IRL.” Internet-era artists have built convincingly realistic perfect girls. I take the perfect girl concept to its next logical step by transforming my image beyond believable authenticity: it is fragmented and distorted to the point of becoming disconnected from my real body. Ultimately, I use this series of works to dismantle the complicated archetypes to which women must conform in our ever-changing cyber landscape