A large architectural installation that points to the expansion of Governors Island (the size of the island was increased by 50% through dredging and infill during the formation of the New York subway system). Similar to Another Final Frontier, Made Ground 01 examines spoil islands (islands formed from dredge) as test cases for alternative habitats on the cusp of changes in climate and land use.
The project also explores the future of geo-engineering projects on Earth. Governors Island is centrally located within New York Harbor, which is currently under review for five different multi-billion dollar flood mitigation projects proposed by USACE that would radically alter the ecosystem and infrastructure of the harbor, and may culminate in the construction of additional dredge islands.
Made Ground 01 was housed in a geodesic dome that we assembled on Governors island that included video, writing, sculpture, found objects and sound. The exhibition was free and open to the public, and was visited by hundreds of people, despite reduced access due to COVID. In tandem with the exhibition, we produced a free takeaway publication with text by Charlie Hailey (Professor of Architecture, University of Florida), and Damian White (Dean of Nature, Culture and Sustainability, Rhode Island School of Design) as well as interviews conducted with Bill McKibben (Founder, 350.org & Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College), Naomi Oreskes (Professor, History of Science at Harvard University), Mark Williams (Professor of Paleontology, University of Leicester) and Jan Zalasiewicz (Emeritus Professor of Paleobiology, University of Leicester and Chair of the the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy of the International Commission on Stratigraphy).
Featuring writing by Charlie Hailey, Damian White with contributions from Bill McKibben, Naomi Oreskes and Jan Zalasiewicz. Publication design by Ji Kim Exhibition Photography by Han Seok You Supported by Rhode Island School of Design, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and F.Domes, Swale House.