Visual
2024
Designed and edited by Tejumola Bayowa and Laura-India Garinois
Imprint is a publication designed and compiled by graduate students at MIT Architecture--a collective document that makes space for every student who chooses to participate. It is a material trace that documents the Department of Architecture over the course of one semester.
2023
On November 7th, 15 participants from MIT engaged in an activity that involved a scenario: a deliberation to decide the fate of a 318-year-old urban tree dangerously leaning towards the owner’s property. The discussion rejected oversimplified or one-dimensional perspectives, recognizing the complexity of the tree’s contributions and inconviences. Roles in the scenario included the tree itslf, a local bluebird, squirrel, elderly property owner, environmental lawyer, neighborhood board member, carpenter, insurance agent, and more. Notably, half of the stakeholders are absent in tree hearing decision-making.
The hearing served as a microcosm, shedding light on how the idealization of trees may lead to anthropocentric tendencies in our approach to tree care and conservation. Specifically, it prompted an exploration of biases and criteria that influence our valuation of trees.
2023
The Christmas tree, having culturally lost any association with its woodland habitat, is now more of a marketed symbol of the holidays than a living tree. Through an architectural lens, the paper examines the consequences of such commodification, delving into societal trends and narratives that have severed the tree's ties to its natural roots. The narrative navigates the complex choices made by environmentally conscious individuals during the holiday season, highlighting the balance between preserving cherished traditions and safeguarding the planet.
2023
The archive booklet is a curated collection of Western depictions of trees across various disciplines, tracing their evolution over time. It examines the representation of trees, often perceived as driven by personal aesthetics, as intricately entwined with cultural, socioeconomic, and political forces that have long shaped our perception of nature.
2023
In collaboration with Anastasiya Ponomaryova, Pavlo Zabotin, and Viktor Kopieikin.
With CO-HATY by Metalab, a project that focuses on renovating vacant buildings in Ukraine for forcibly displaced individuals, the research explored material design solutions for comprehensive, low-carbon, and cost-effective approaches for transporting, reusing, and upcycling donated materials from demolished buildings in Switzerland to be used in Ukraine. The intentional use of doors as a symbolic architectural element in the exhibit reflects the significance of secure housing for forcibly displaced individuals in Ukraine. Additionally, the research explores how the quality of upcycled doors contributes to creating a sense of home during periods of uncertainty.
2022
In collaboration with Liam Martin
Nestled within the central pond of Vondelpark, our "Float" issue entry features a floating structure located in a central pond in Vondelpark. It is is composed of upcycled oil barrels from Dutch refineries. The pavilion extends the unusable square footage of the park by placing the pavilion on water, dissolving the boundaries between the natural and built environment, and carrying the Dutch tradition of coexisting with water.
2017
Cornell University, 104 p.
The European Migrant Crisis, unfolding in the digital era, sees technology as a crucial lifeline for refugees—more essential than food or shelter. In response to challenges like limited WiFi access, a guerrilla project repurposes discarded life jackets from Lesvos into the versatile form. It transforms into a life jacket, regular jacket, sleeping unit, and connects into aggregated inflatable spaces. Embedded solar fabric and triboelectricity provide power, turning the jacket into an autonomous WiFi shelter and habitation node. The aggregated spaces serve as social pop-up spaces for refugees and locals, shifting the ways public spaces are formed in Greece.