With a World Arts and Cultures interdisciplinary focus in cinematography, I have acquired the tools to explore the space of social and political thought via the material frame of the camera
lens. Video, gaining popularity in a post-modern wave of further technological innovation, is certainly a powerful platform on which to construct ideas on social behavior; however, I believe
the best model for ethnographic research has, and always will be, in the nuances of the architectural edi!ce. Very often in my own research I have found myself !lming places more than the people who occupy them. In fact my last two !lms barely had people in them at all.
It is true that architectural structures serve as some sort of palimpsest of human history; but architectural monuments are not just a glimpse of the past, they become actors in the present along with those utilizing them. As the world's strongest metaphor, architecture is not simply
a way in which the human race constructs the world: it is the way in which the human race sees the world. The processes of acculturation and socialization are often described through
architectural simile: “My family is my foundation,”“My rock is my home,”“Home is where the heart is.” It seems that social discourse is invariably tied to architectural practice for memory and meaning are connected to space and place, not temporal qualities. This would suggest that architecture is not simply about aesthetic creations; it is about organizing the social structure. Through architecture, Le Corbusier ushered in a whole new dialectic of modernism. He was not simply a builder, for the implications of his buildings were not just structural but theoretical as well. As a developing ethnographer, my education in architecture will not only serve as a way to expand upon the idea of sustainable living, but it will also give me the opportunity to
help make my thesis into a practicing reality. The Postmodern, not unlike Le Corbusier’s arguments about modernism, presents a sort of binary for the everyday man—integrate or die. Concerns about the rising temperature of the planet are nothing in comparison to the overabundant chaos that is now representative of the globalized community. In replacing
artistically and culturally speci!c forms of building through economic justi!cations, architecture
has become a hegemonic surrogate to many people across the globe. The study of architecture for me is not simply about building structures—it is about building a better tomorrow through the tools I have acquired as an ethnographer.
ARYA Group, Inc., Santa Monica, CA, US, Interior Designer
Job includes responsibilities spanning interior design through project management. I sample finishes, design FF&E layouts, make basic construction sets, prepare budgets, design custom furniture, manage subcontractors and implement the principle's design scheme.
The Kristoffer Winters Co., Hollywood, CA, US, Junior Designer
FF&E Floorplans and Elevations for a variety of high end residential projects. Responsibilities included updating social media/website, handling office CAD work, servicing as a liaison between Kristoffer and the architects his clients utilized, and modeling custom built furniture.
Abode Communities, Los Angeles, CA, US, Intern
Basic unpaid intern for a nonprofit architecture firm specializing in community housing. Learned a great deal about the actual building process as I scanned, received, and stamped many documents over and over again every time a new phase of a project was started or completed. For every ounce of creativity executed in a practicing firm, there are mountains of read tape--I dealt more with this red tape than I did with actually executing projects in this position.
The City of Moorpark, Moorpark Home Acres, CA, US, Recreation II
Recreational coordinator 2 for the City of Moorpark; staffed summer camps and held
youth events for community. Executed several of the community’s holiday celebrations (i.e. “Fright Fest”or “Easter Egg Hunt”). Often responsible for maintenance of baseball/ soccer fields, emphasis on seeding and watering--in constant communication with the city's landscaping department.
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, US, BArch, Architecture and Urban Design
See about me section for information on Architecture and Urban Design. Or visit http://www.aud.ucla.edu/
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, US, Bachelors, World Arts and Cultures
See About me section for information on World Arts and Cultures. Or visit http://www.wac.ucla.edu/
