Black Solitudes: Afro—Diasporic Rest Architectures
Harvard GSD
Thesis 2023
Advisors: Oana Stanescu
& Sean Canty
A POEM INVENTING, THROUGH FORM, NEW AFRO—DIASPORIC ARCHITECTONICS FOR REST. LIBERATORY, THESE ARTIFACTS RESIDE IN THE LIMINAL SPACE—THE SPACE OF OTHERNESS—IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE DESERT GEOGRAPHY. THE SITE OF THE MOJAVE DESERT ALLOWS FOR IMAGINING AT A SPECIFIC SCALE AND CONTEXT. A PLACE WHERE NASA IS USING THE SITE TO RESEARCH AN OTHERED EXPERIENCE (MARS), SHARING AFFINITIES OF EXTRACTION, NEGATION, AND SOLITUDE WITH THE BLACK. SUBLIME AND SAVAGE, LANDSCAPE AND FORM BECOME WITNESS TO ONE ANOTHER.
/ ADVISORS: OANA STANESCU & SEAN CANTY +HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN / INDEPENDENT STUDY ADVISORS: JOHN MAY & OANA STANESCU +HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN / THEORY: DR. MAYRA.RIVERA & DR. ELYAN HILL + HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL / DISCOURSE: CAMILLE BACON, DENNY MWARA, DEREK HOLLAND, LAUDA VARGAS, MPHO MATSIPA, OLANI EWUNNET, ROBERT MORRIS LEVINE, TARA OLUWAFEMI, ZAKKIYYAH NAJEEBAH DUMUS-O’NEAL / MODELING ADVICE, COCO TIN, B. INGRID OLSON / SEMESTER CRITICS: CURRY HACKETT, HELEN HAN, MILTON S.F. CURRY, MPHO MATSIPA, PABLO RAMOS—PEREZ, RANIA GHOSN, SHELIA KENNEDY, SERGIO LOPEZ-—PINEIRO, SEKOU COOKE/ EXHIBITION SET UP, HANA KIM, KELLIE ZHAO, IHWA CHOI, MARIAMA M.M. KAH, ISABEL STRAUSS, SCHOLA CHIOMA EBURUOH / MILLING ASSISTANCE, CNC: GSD FABRICATION LAB, MINYOUNG HONG / STAR GIRL SANDING ASSISTANCE: IAN ERICKSON