Portfolio Link

In our thesis project, we focused on the theme of “exposing the unexpected”. We manifested this exploration in a series of interventions situated at locations of oil spills that have been forgotten or ignored over time. In this case, the “exposure” is the usage of anti-monuments to exhibit the machines and parts that perpetuate the oil industry, and the “unexpected” These anti-monuments differ from normal monuments in purpose because they aim to warn viewers, educate them, and prevent further disasters. is the presence of oil in the soil or on top of the water onsite.

We chose five sites in the United States as examples of where oil spills may lurk and created emotion-driven experiences at each. These emotions are drawn from typical responses to disasters; utilizing the driving emotions of guilt, anger, fear, grief, and hope, we created experiences at each site to allow visitors to confront the parts of the oil industry that normally remain hidden to us. Circulation systems at different scales are combined with a proto-program reflecting the emotional driving factor, with both centered around the anti-monuments to the oil industry.

The goal of this project is not only to educate viewers, but also to inspire them to spur change in how dependent we are as a country upon oil.