The conventional understanding of the term “ruin” is most commonly applied to the romanticized relics of the ancient past such as Greek temples, Roman Forums, and cathedrals of antiquity. However, what if a similar romanticism was re-contextualized to describe the modern “ruins” of post-industrial sites?
Twentieth-century booms in business led to monumental advances in industrial processes. Unfortunately, as local industries declined, entire cities were abandoned and their respective industrial districts were left to decay. It is precisely this process of urban decay that serves as the driving force of my thesis.
The writings of Antoine Picon speak about the sublime picturesqueness of the new industrial landscape as it decays: a new nature. It is precisely this element of the grotesque that I seek to harness. As in nature, these sites are digested slowly by their urban environments. Fragmentation, erosion, sedimentation, corrosion, and fracturing are all examples of forces of decay. These actions are reinterpreted as driving forces of rehabilitation for the site.
My thesis investigates ways in which the industrial site can be inhabited and reintegrated with the urban fabric without subverting its historical relevance to the surrounding urban environment. The industrial buildings themselves have a specific soul that should not be erased.
The types of buildings that I found the most compelling were the massive industrial facilities such as Silo City in Buffalo, NY. The monumentality of these structures is awe inspiring. This type of intensity can be harnessed to revitalize the surrounding areas. The city of Buffalo is a shell of what it once was. It is hard to properly appreciate the majesty and history of the city in its current, dilapidated state.
By restoring industrial districts such as Silo City and re-purposing them for new, relevant cultural programs, the city will grow without the necessity of erasing its impressive history. My project seeks to use these sites as a departure point for radical urban revitalization of post-industrial cities.
The purpose of this studio was to begin with a design proposal from an established architectural firm and carry it forward to completion. Our original design was a competition entry from Daniel Liebeskind for the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania.
In this partner project, we began with evaluated the schematics and formal performances of the design. From there, we implemented structural systems, working closely with a pair of civil engineers. As a team, we worked to develop a structural system that would allow us to develop a walk-able green roof that could support a full glass curtain wall. Another challanging structural element was a full tensile roof structure over the main theatre space. We also designed egress patterns, lighting schemes, circulation and accessibility, and cost estimation. This project helped me better understand the complete process of design as well as the importance of drawing precise documentation of discrete systems within the building and site.
The Museum was sited along the Neris River, adjacent to a park. Our design centered on a desire to integrate the structure into the landscape while still creating an iconic landmark. We proposed a roof structure that literally peeled up from the ground, arching over a dramatic entrance, before touching back down on the other side. The roof structure supports a massive glass curtain wall, giving the accentuating the relationship between the ground and the roof. The created an inhabitable green roof that would allow pedestrians to walk from one end of the building, all the way down to the other side. There would also be pedestrian access through the main lobby, without passing through a ticketed space, to allow a connection between the city and the waterfront.
The functional relationship between public and private space was a very important design criteria when developing the design. We wanted the project to include opportunities for community involvement that would encourage the public use of the variety of spaces. The landscaping around the museum created grassy terraces, hardscape walkways, an amphitheater, and a cafe.
This studio focused on developing modeling techniques using software like Maya and Mudbox and understanding how these software tools could inform design without being the sole driving force behind it.
We began the semester by investigating case studies of relationships between poche and interior spaces. The diagrams are examples of spatial extrapolations I used to develop an "object". My object sought to emulate the oscillations found in the interior spaces of Bernini Chapels. The diagrammatic renders show the radial patterning of the structure of the form. I also wanted to further explore the way the interior of the Bernini church spills into the exterior through the facade of the church which has arms reaching out to embrace the street.
The blue surfaces of my object begin as an exterior skin and then peel off of the main structure of the object to become a secondary structure held within the cage like form of the first. This blending of relationships between interior and exterior informed the continued evolution of my project. Using digital fabrication techniques, I 3D printed a model of my final object that included the blue streaks.
The next phase of our project was to design a crematorium using the logic we developed through the creation of our object. My design deformed my original object through techniques of mirroring, nesting, and scale change to create dynamic spaces that would interact with the ground plane to allow for a multiplicity of spatial conditions.
The more intimate spaces were created where the blue skin retreats within the structure to create smaller envelopes of space. However, it then pushes and pulls back to extend outwards to create large scale covered spaces that blend inside and outside. The weaving of this surface informed the way in which the space underneath was arranged formally and programmatically.
This month long workshop was a collaborative effort between RPI students and Italian students from the Polytechnic of Turin. We experimented with systems that would react to various factors in the environment such as sun light and heat and modify their orientation to maximize the comfort level of their inhabitants. We built mechanical prototypes that were hooked-up up to Arduino boards that were fitted with simple scripts written to detect the changes in environment and initiate the change in orientation of the prototype.
Our prototype responded to the direction of the sun as well as to temperature. A double hexagon grid created a type of truss system with circular disks on the top that would hold sun tracking solar panels. The walls within the double-layered system had two orientations depending on the desired environment underneath the pavilion. An “open” position encouraged more circulation of air throughout the structure cooling down the interior. In cold temperatures the panels created a more complexed organization that would trap air inside to serve as insulation. The solar panels on the top could also completely close at night or in the rain to further shelter the interior. Our prototype was built with an external gear system due to scale constraints but in reality, the system would be equipped with an internal pulley cable system that would allow the structure to be able to expand in any direction.
I was selected to participate in the 2012 Smart Geometry Conference hosted at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I was assigned to the "Transgranular Perspiration Cluster" lead by Brian Lilley, a professor from Dalhousie University in Halifax.
The main goal of this cluster was to investigate the behavioral patterns of ceramics when used as a cladding system. Many different variables were tested including the mixture of the clay and combinations of different kinds of clay. As the clay dried and cracked, we also investigated how introducing geometric patterns on the surface of the wet clay would effect the nature of the natural cracking process. The end result was to see how the porosity of the clay effected heat transfer, moisture absorption, and strength of the clay. Using technology like thermal sensing cameras, Arduino boards, and various temperature sensors throughout the clay tile wall assembly, we were able to accurately track the response of the system.
I helped co-author a paper compiling our research from the project and it submitted it to the 2012 ACADIA Conference in San Fransisco. Our paper was chosen to be published and our team captain, Brian Lilley spoke at the conference.
The "Changing Room" by EASTON+COMBS was an installation built in 2011 that was displayed at the Extension Gallery in Chicago, IL. The installation was designed and fabricated at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Monika assisted with the fabrication and organization of the structural elements. She was also a member of the team that handled the logistics of transporting the project from Troy, NY to Chicago, IL to assist with the installation process.
For more information CLICK HERE to read the project description on the EASTON+COMBS website.
The second year design studio focuses on development of spatial design through digital drawing and fabrication. There is a strong emphasis on model making using various fabrication methods and equipment. Each student is to derive a unique approach to residential design based an assigned case study.
For my housing project I began by looking at the radial qualities of the Melnikov House. The Melnikov house formally resembles and extruded Venn diagram. This concept also manifests itself in the overlap of the different floor plates within the house. The project was meant as a social and political commentary in Russia. It was built during the upswing of socialism when mass housing strategies were the most popular developments.
The house nests together public and private spaces that involve two distinctly separate paths of inhabitation. I took this project literally and diagrammatically forward to understand the relationships between intersecting radial forms that could combine to create a larger combination of interlocked spaces.
The original studies (shown below) featured extruded elliptical towers that were twisted against each other and then intersecting areas were boolean-ed out to allow for passage throughout the structure. My models showcase a variety of fabrication techniques such as layering, ribbing, folding, and nesting to create unique material effects involving light and shadow, transparency, and lightness
To better understand the programmatic requirements of a collage museum, we immersed ourselves within the practice of collage. This studio focused heavily on tactile projects, working with a variety of mediums, and investigating the process and mindset of collage artists. From here, we created a museum that would interact with the viewer, and the art to achieve a kaleidoscopic environment that was always changing.
The museum was designed to be an adaptive reuse project of an old Masonic Temple located in Milton, PA. The existing building featured brick and steel construction with a beautiful classic columned portico in the front. My partner and I used shifts and breakages in the horizontal and vertical planes to reconfigure the interior of the building.
Our concept began with the understanding that it only requires three lines to define the volume of a cube. We sought to find a way to describe shifting, rectilinear spaces that would be able to be changed by the viewer using movable panels. The exterior of the building implemented a facade system that would regulate light within the space and alter the relationship between the exterior and interior of the building through the usage of materials of varying degrees of opacity and openness. These were also designed to be user operated. We also investigated ways in which this strategy could influence interior displays.
The purpose of this studio was a thorough investigation into the process and motivation involved with the creation and inspiration of collage in conjunction with the "Kaleidoscopic Spatiality" project. We began by understanding the evolution and implications of the genre. We recreated pieces inspired by classics like Richard Hamilton’s “Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?” and looked at the work of countless others from Picasso to Rauschenberg.
We then were each tasked with developing our own series of pieces. My final product was titled “The House that Jane Built {after she seduced Jack, divorced him, and stole all his money}”. The collection sought to address the growing sexualization of our culture and how we are becoming desensitized to the profane and how this trend has a troubling influence on the youth of this country.
Instead of focusing on the exploitation of women, I investigated the role women play in objectifying themselves and attempted to criticize the “feminist” obsession with abandoning the home and hearth to place her career before her family. One of the major inspirations for my project stemmed from the way that our culture influences the social development of children. Many of the scenes in the “house” depict children being exposed to inappropriate situations or behavior.
The work itself is a juxtaposition of images out of pornographic magazines and material taken out of magazines and newspapers from the 50’s and 60’s. The splicing together of womens’ bodies from the two separate sources emphasizes the conflict between contemporary and historical views of women. The following texts are excerpts from a short story i wrote to accompany the collection in the exhibition.
...I jolt back to the ground and open my eyes. I am awake in my bed. I feel tired, deep in my bones. I swing my legs over the side of the mattress and dig my toes into the carpet. Yawning and stretching my arms over my head I make my way to the bathroom. Splashing water on my face I pause and gaze into the mirror. My jaw drops. In the mirror I see Them. I see Gabriella, I see Marcy, I see the children gazing back at me out through my eyes. I see the hungry lust of the streams of men parading through Their houses. I look down and I see my body as if for the first time. I understand the soft curves of my hips, the tilt of my neck, the gentle arch of my back giving way to sinuous legs. It’s as if I am seeing myself for the first time. And within this hollow frame lies all that I have observed in the ‘other’ world. It was me. I was inside myself, my heart, my head, my sickness. What was once insidiously lurking within, influencing my actions and motivations the whole time, finally bursting forth from the surface of my consciousness. This time I will not tuck it back. This time I will finally be free.
...She thinks she’s on top; that she can ride out this storm. I understand the power play: the desire to take back what was taken from her. And she just gets so bored! But somethings sex can’t fix. These days she spends more time on her knees than she does with her kids. Children are smart. They’re the only ones in this world that see as much as me: little sponges...
...The children of this universe trouble me: little robots, always plugged into something or someone. When they aren’t watching the television, they watch themselves in the mirror. They seem to be waiting, watching for when they turn into something else. It seems that the children of this universe are taught that the way they are made is never adequate. From early on, they begin to emulate their parents or their televisions. The girls make believe they have breasts and steal their mother’s make-up, kissing pouty lips on the backs of their hands and praying for their menses to begin, not knowing what that even means. These are the future mothers, teachers, and nurturers of the population. It is no wonder to me that the ever deepening spiral is perpetuated by the lack of maternal integrity in this world...
I have always enjoyed finding uses for neglected items and turning something strange into something beautiful. My interest in hub cap art has evolved slowly over the last decade. From simple geometric paintings, to complex collage collections, I love finding new ways to experiment with unique media.
I have had the opportunity to devise creative custom pieces for clients, make beautiful gifts for loved ones, and display my art in the community. My town has "Third Thursday Art Walks" that showcase various artists and musicians throughout the community. For the last two years I have shown and sold my art at these festive gatherings. Interacting with the community has given me new insight into my own work, and given me fresh new ideas for future projects.
These images are some of my favorite pieces, but to date I couldn't count how many I've made. Below is the link to my Etsy site if you'd like to see even more!
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