One Week

One week from now I will be at the Atlanta airport getting ready to head west - very, very far west.  But for now I am in Memphis, eating delicious barbecue (clearly a requisite activity in Memphis) and relaxing a bit.  I know when I get back into Atlanta come Monday evening it will be a hectic six days of sorting out what I need followed by fitting all of the things I need into one bag to schlep around for a month.  Those of you who know me well (or have followed this blog in the past) know that I won't actually get around to packing until the night before, so the next week of this blog will ultimately be filled with me telling y'all how I should be packing, but that I have yet to start.

In other mundane news, I'm in the process of getting the business side of things ready for my trip (as I have mentioned in the past few posts).  One of the tasks at hand is to switch all my printed material for my presentation and job hunt (resume, cover letters, etc.) from letter paper to A4.  Just one of those small differences which, while trivial, is not inconsequential; after all, I want people to be able to print those things in Australia with minimal hassle.

Also, to get you better acquainted with why I am taking this trip, I will take this opportunity to introduce my thesis a bit.  The thesis was composed to fulfill the requirements of my Master of Architecture as well as the needs of the Honors Department to graduate with my BA in History.  The multidisciplinary thesis (I am proud to say the ONLY multidisciplinary thesis at the Tulane School of Architecture [TSA] this year) combined 100+ pages of written, researched material for the history component with an architectural intervention which addressed the historic components.  It was not only an exercise in history and architecture, but also in sociology and urban planning (I brought professors from the urban studies department on board for the nine month journey).

The result included a 230 page book (available in print on lulu.com, or digitally through me, for anyone interested - I doubt you are, but if you are, comment on this and I can send you a link), an architectural proposal (which, at TSA, was presented via a 8'x6'-8" board of dozens of drawings and images as well as a 5'x3' model).  Come to think of this I might have already mentioned this, but I feel it is worth repeating.

Anyways, to get your toe in the water, here is the text of my paper abstract (which is what got me invited to present at this symposium)... It is basically a brief, brief synopsis of what the book includes:

REINCORPORATING REDFERN: REMEDIATING COLONIAL PLANNING AND ITS EFFECTS ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS

This thesis examines the marginalization of indigenous populations in response to the deployment of planning by European colonizers and the reinforcement of cultural norms within the built environment.  As a case study, the thesis takes on the plight of Aboriginal Australians and the trajectory of relations between Anglo-Australians and Aboriginals from the colonization by the British of New South Wales in 1788 through disenfranchisement of Aboriginal populations in urban centers today.  The current government policy of “Reconciliation” is taken as a detriment to the fostering of productive relations and the reintroduction of Aboriginal culture into what is generally perceived as “Australian.”  A new response which better incorporates the full heritage of Australia into the everyday world is sought.

The introduction establishes the current climate of Anglo-Aboriginal relations in Australia and briefs the reader on the heritage of Australian Aboriginals.  The first chapter grounds the Australian colonial experience in the global precedents of European colonization and hones in on British actions leading to the point of Australia’s “discovery.”  The second chapter lays out the progression of British society in Australia and the impact on and reaction of the progressively marginalized Aboriginal society.  The third chapter examines the results of the relations on Aboriginal culture today and analyzes some of the failings of the current programs seeking to better revitalize Aboriginal culture.  This thesis results in a proposition, described in chapter four, for an urban intervention in the studied area of Redfern, New South Wales to serve as a new interpretation of public space in the urban realm.  The proposal seeks to bring about an understanding of Aboriginal heritage as an integral part of Australian identity through the introduction of new space within the urban landscape.

So there you have it, my work from the last nine months.  If you care to read any more or chat with me about it, I am pretty versed in the subject and happy to share.  Also, here is a picture of my full boards and model - while you won't be able to see any amount of detail (shrinking something that was 8' wide to fit a computer screen tends to do that), it will at least give you an idea of the work.