Scorched wheat crop in Delhi, India

What would this mean for rural America?

Brown Mills Grocery -- Arthurdale WV

Sorghum Harvesting in Preston County

To address rural communities located in food deserts whose outsourcing systems rely heavily on family-owned farms and personal gardens, it is essential to not only understand the pressing climate crises impact, but the group of peoples cultural and physical environment. Through interactive maps and informative land studies accompanied by the oral histories of people from West Virginia, this project aims to begin theorizing 'how can we manipulate the land to preserve the land practices and continue to sustain communities both through food access and cultural heritage.' 

Outstanding in the Field

Danny Wills

Oral Histories + Folklorists

Forces at

play

Manipulation of land

Preservation of land

Sound box 1

Sound box 2

Sound box 3

Key Design Elements:

Balance -- creating a space that puts value on each medium

Movement -- each space feels like entering a portal

Contrast -- make maps with both technical and cultural information

Exhibition:

Thank you to my advisors, Nada and Ammar, the support of Chris, Amro, Tessa, and the whole NuVu team. Thank you to my family for allowing me to pursue such unique learning experiences -- I will carry this work with me for the rest of my life.

Daniel Watkins

All My Friends

Nathalie Miebach

The Weather Score Project

Data Abstraction

Iglesia de Santa Maria Tonantzintla

Maud Lewis

Painted House

Isaiah Zagar

Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

Folk Art

Immersive

Distortion

Reflection

Concealment

Immersive

Distortion

Reflection

Concealment

Significance

There are nearly 2 million people currently being held in confinement nationwide, with over 1 million in federal prisons alone. Of those 1 million, approximately 15% have been convicted with nonviolent drug charges. One of the biggest struggles with a mass scale release is the lack of resources waiting outside the prison walls. With the creation of a system that would aid in the transition from incarceration to social and economic self-sustainability, there would be a concrete reintegration path back into free society, drastically lowering recidivism rates, and keeping prison populations low.

Data Research

One of the most important fields of data that are recorded around reentry are recidivism rates. Recidivism is the rate at which those who are released become reconvicted and reincarcerated. The rate for recidivism is highest during the first year post-release, and this program hopes to focus on those first few months post-release and add skills that create self-sustainability for the future.

Thesis

Building Neighbors is a programmatic proposal and architectural model based around the idea of creating a more concrete and productive method of reintegration into communities and society using career, social and residential opportunities for those who are released from federal prisons. The ultimate aim of the proposed program and space is to encourage the release of incarcerated people, starting with adolescents and young adults charged with nonviolent drug offences, and moving through other charges with the aim of combating mass incarceration. 

One of the main precedents found during preliminary research was the open prison systems in Norwegian countries. These prisons are very effective at limiting recidivism and fostering human dignity by creating humanized spaces that are familiar and personalized. The aim of this system has been stated to be touted as creating neighbors rather than criminals.

Transition Precedents

Building Neighbors uses the medium of architecture to attempt to repair the damage caused by the blatantly dehumanizing and limiting architecture of the current prisons and jails, and how the transition back into society could be aided by creating a space that is specialized for that purpose.

Methodology

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

• Field of interest brainstorming
• Topic narrowing
• Creation of research question
• Topic research
• Abstract creation
• Project proposal

• Design element research
• Introduction of secondary advisors
• Programmatic precedents and decisions
• Design element decisions
• Rough idea production

• Architectural choices and reasoning
• Finalizing program
• Design iterations
• Zoning and program cross-referencing
• Furnishing and details
• Final rendering and production

During the process of creating the program deciding whether to base the project around a specific site or not was an important decision before moving into design. Through much research and brainstorming, it was decided to focus on creating a proposal space that is modular to other spaces and systems, as mass incarceration and reintegration failure is not a localized problem.

Site Decision

Deciding Factors

• Future-proofed career
• Flexible schedule
• Marketable skill
• Consistent wage
• Traditional education not required

• Chef
• Freelance styled careers
• Web developer
• Graphic design
• Video game designer
• Web app designer
• Auto mechanic
• UX Designer
• Robotic technician 
• Digital marketing 
• Industrial Engineer
• Alternative energy installers and technicians (solar) 
• AI 
• Bike mechanics

= Meets none of the requirements

= Meets some of the requirements

= Meets most of the requirements

Core Program Offerings

At the core of the program is a graphic and UX design career training which lasts for 6 months. During this period students are also living in the residential space provided and reincorporating into the interpersonal community as well as the community at large.

Zoning

Ground Floor

Second Floor

• Career training
• Multipurpose community room
• Auditorium

• Living space
• Shared kitchen
• Communal area

Ground Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Fourth Floor Plan

North Elevation

South Elevation

East Elevation

West Elevation

Section A-A

Section B-B

Ground Floor

Second Floor

Third Floor

Blank Pages

My capstone project is an analysis and representation of my brain and how it works. Through storytelling and stop motion animation, I seek to...

Methods

Interviews with creative professionals

Research on the brain

Recording daily conversations

Listening to podcasts from creatives and writing analysis in response

Initial Project Outcomes

VFX Animation:

+Versatile

+I've done it before

--Hard to prototype

--Easy to get caught in perfectionism

Mechanical Installation

+I like the medium

--What would it be?

Stop-Motion

+Impossible to be perfect, I won't be able to waste time on details

+Linear work, spending hours on a single shot instead of jumping around

-Mistakes are very punishing

I intentionally chose a medium I'm inexperienced with, and also one with a destructive and punishing workflow. Hopefully, it will force me to just continue developing a scene even if I don't think it's ideal, because it's too much of a pain to start over. If I had chosen something like digital 3d animation, I most likely would be driven to try to make things perfect, because digital mediums allow you to do that. Even though I'm relatively experienced with programs like Blender, I would be shooting myself in the foot if I chose them as my medium for capstone.

Precedents

The View From Here is an example of an animated story from StoryCorps, about a woman who works as bridgetender in Florida. She describes her eight years on the job so far.

Precedents

In this precedent, the character is literally hallucinating, but it's interesting to me as a visual precedent for something from his imagination physically interacting with him. Specifically with this character, his hallucinations can also be interpreted in different ways to read into his mental state and history.

Precedents

The wire/steel armature is the base of most stop-motion projects. The armature on the right is a steel ball and socket armature, which is meant for foam and cloth characters. claymation characters are usually made with wire armatures.

Storyboard & Vision

Main Character Profile

• The creature is a representation of my brain bank — it sits on my desk space and observes and torments(?)
• The creature is an embodiment of my project process
• bold, lounging, jokester
• "slippery" jester and trickster
• little rascal
• scallywag

Questions

• I am still not sure about how to narrow down my final concept. What is the greater commentary I want to make with the creature?
• What does the creature represent?
• How does the creature interact with its surroundings?
• How does the creature make me feel in the scene?

Next Steps

• Finalize my lingering concept question
• Begin building scenes

In 2001, Sharp and Harvey released a revolutionary paper studying the comorbidity of chronic pain and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (3). In this study they found that of the patients with chronic pain, 10 - 50% of them had PTSD, and in patients with a trauma disorder, 20 - 80% of them suffer from chronic pain. This study goes on to suggest seven factors contributing to their comorbidity. These factors can then contribute to a person suffering from both chronic pain and PTSD to get stuck in a cycle that worsens the symptoms of both.

Acupuncture

Chronic Pain

PTSD

My Project

Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that has been around since at least 100 BCE. The main idea behind acupuncture is that the body is filled with energy and that energy can be shifted using all sorts of treatments including stimulating acupuncture points. One part of acupuncture is acupressure, a form of treatment in which pressure, rather than needles, is applied to acupuncture points. This knowledge will be used to create a wearable that can apply pressure to some of these points on the hand and wrist.

The expected result of this project is a wearable in the style of a wrist brace, which applies pressure triggered by a phone app. This pressure will be applied to acupuncture points that help relieve symptoms of PTSD and chronic pain. On the app, the user can set an amount of time for the pressure to be applied, and can choose a pressure pattern. The app will also be able to record when buttons are triggered so that the user can review that data and spot patterns in their symptoms.

Quell is a piece of wearable technology for people dealing with chronic pain in their feet, legs, or knees. It uses electrical nerve stimulation to block pain receptors. The physical device can connect to a phone app to control when it starts the electrical therapy and for how long each session is.

TECARE is a vest made for veterans with PTSD. It has different sensors to detect when the wearer feels anxiety and tracks it. This is a good product for tracking anxiety, however, it does nothing to help stop it.

This image is how I imagine the final wearable will be shaped. This is a good shape as it hits many acupuncture points on the hand and wrist, and since it wraps around the hand it stays in one place while being worn.

• start researching materials and acupuncture points
• start prototyping wearable
• add electronic components to wearable
• make second version of prototype with electronics ingrained
• start designing app and continue working on wearable
• make basic app and version three of prototype
• wrap everything up and create presentation

1. Brennstuhl, Marie-Jo, et al. “Chronic Pain and PTSD: Evolving Views on Their Comorbidity.” Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, vol. 51, no. 4, 2014, pp. 295–304., https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12093.
2. Scioli-Salter, Erica R., et al. “The Shared Neuroanatomy and Neurobiology of Comorbid Chronic Pain and PTSD.” The Clinical Journal of Pain, vol. 31, no. 4, 2015, pp. 363–374., https://doi.org/10.1097/ajp.0000000000000115.
3. Sharp, Timothy J, and Allison G Harvey. “Chronic Pain and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Mutual Maintenance?” Clinical Psychology Review, vol. 21, no. 6, 2001, pp. 857–877., https://doi.org/10.1016/s0272-7358(00)00071-4.

Background (inspiration and issue background)

Symbiosis

Coastal

 Community

Mutualistic Symbiosis - a long term interaction between two organisms that is mutually beneficial.

By reconceptualizing coastal communities into a symbiotic relationship with the land, human harm can be minimized while maximizing positive impact upon both humans and the ecosystem, resulting in a longer term resilience plan for these communities.

Coastal

 Ecosystem

Historically, coastal communities have been economic hubs, intrinsically linked to vital industries such as fishing, and shipping, with new innovations like offshore wind farms, and aquaculture only increasing the economic relevance of these communities. However, coastal communities are currently some of the most vulnerable communities due to changing climate conditions that expose them to rising sea levels, extreme weather, and various chemical changes. These changes harm both the ecosystems and communities that are dependent on coastal ecology. To address this issue, these communities must transition from reactionary measures to fostering a mutualistic symbiotic relationship between their communities and the land.

Justification

Newfoundland

Newfoundland's population of 570,000 has been slightly declining in recent years due to economic conditions.

In 1857, 90% of Newfoundlands population were fishermen, by 1991, only 5% remained full-time fishermen.

In response to plummeting cod stocks in the region, in 1992 a cod moratorium was instated and has lasted up until present day.

Newfoundland's economy has been historically dependent on the land, however recently this region has been struggling economically as result of a struggling ecosystem.

Generative Design

Design Goal

Rule Algorithms

Source Code

Designer

Solution #1

Solution #2

Solution #n

Precedent - Data Visualization

Expected Outcomes ( includes precedents-diagrams- design objectives and elements)

Precedent - Data Driven Design

Expected Outcomes ( includes precedents-diagrams- design objectives and elements)

Process

Collect + Synthesize Data

Generative Design Process

Animation

Final Outcome

Milestones

Milestone 1 - Defining Design Goals

Milestone 2 - Synthesizing & Analyzing Data

Milestone 3 - Begin Prototyping

Milestone 4 - Assess Progress & Reiterate

Milestone 5 - Animate Alternating Paths

Milestone 5 - Final Production

Competencies

Generative Design

• Requires specific softwares
• Incorporates AI
• Requires assistance from coaches



Animation

• Utilize softwares such as Blender
• Could incorporate parametric modeling through Grasshopper

Data Analysis

• Find reputable databases for access
• Collect and organize data to show its significance

Feedback

Thank you!

While the mountain state is rich with biodiversity and lush agriculture, many people in the state of West Virginia are unable to incorporate nutrient-dense whole foods into their diet. Large disparities in localized fresh foods are a significant problem that threatens the health of over 27% of residents living in what the USDA has deemed a “food desert.” So-called “food deserts'', focus on the lack of grocery stores in a given community. A binary logic of presence or absence fails to take into account the agency of vulnerable households and their complex food sourcing strategies including cultural and social practices that affect food consumption patterns. As outsiders to the region, it is important to form personal connections with the land and people to better understand solutions to the ever-evolving food crisis in Appalachia. The overall price of food has fallen along with the relative value of wages, yet the industrial production systems processing and delivering this food have contributed to nutrient deficiencies and health problems, specifically among poorer communities. Rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension are alarming, and most policy interventions continue to seek to reform the consumptive habits and behaviors of individual consumers rather than address the food and economic policies that produce markets awash in low-cost unhealthy food options.

Regenerative Agriculture

Native American

 land-honoring practices

Rural community

"urban" planning

How can sacred cultivation be innovated --> It can't, and shouldn't

Addressing food-inequity with localized agriculture

Appalachia!

Topic Journey

Precedents

The Bittersweet Southerner

Outstanding in the Field

The Soft White Underbelly

Nalini Malani

Geography + Socio-economics

Reading the Landscape

The Food Industry

• Understanding various socio-economic dynamics aiding to food inequity
• Labor intensive work
• Poverty
• Substance and drug crisis
• Car dependant

• Surveying soil and till in the region
• Easiest vegetation to cultivate in specific soil
• Already existing localized agriculture

• Car-mobility
• Dining culture + how the community organizes around food
• Restaurants in rural communities 
• Fast food chain competition

Competencies

Film + Photography

Crafting a Space

Arduino Programming

• Capturing portraits
• Intimate interview camera setup
• Lighting, backdrop, sound, etc.

• Large scale installation
• Immersivity -- how to incorporate all the senses
• Isolate sounds, visuals, experiences!

• Interactive space
• Motion and touch sensors to cue experiences
• Connecting speakers and video clips to code

Design Objectives

Incorporate all the senses:

• Utilize visuals, sound, touch, and possibly even smell to create an intimate environment

How are these stories heard?

• Interactive components! Touchable portraits, motion detectors, physical objects?

Lean into the meal:

• Dinner conversation
• Let the nature of the meal dictate the set up

Individual experience:

• Set max people in space at a time
• Space is subtle-y shifting over time
• Hone in on peoples abilities to interact with the space

Milestone 1: April 14th

Project proposal presentation

Milestone 2: April 19th

Methodology testing week commences

Milestone 3: May 2nd - 7th

Proposed dates of travel to Morgantown, West Virginia

Milestone 4: May 15th - 20th

Second proposed travel date

Milestone 5: May 23rd

Interview editing, construction faze begins

Milestone 6: June 3rd

Pencils down

Timeline

Collaborators & Advisors

Joshua Loans, Erica Stratton, & Carolina Rascon

Appalachian Food Justice Lab at West Virginia University

Amro Arida

NuVu Art Director, Photographer, Documentarian

Chris Perry

NuVu Coach, Fabrication Skills

Feedback:

Elements of Proposal

• Title
• Summary
• Background (Justification, significance & literature review)
• Methodology
• Capstone schedule & Milestone
• Budget
• Expected Outcome
• Collaboration/advisors
• References
• Competences

 it should be informative, specific, and concise. Make the

title informative by describing the subject of the Capstone not the outcome

Title

A brief description of the problem you want to

address, the objectives, the significance, and potential contribution of your

the proposed thesis, and, briefly, the methods you will use.

Summary

Elaborate on the problem and its

background ( create outlines), and why your planned Capstone is important

 Significance and Background

Explain your medium and method and material

Methodology

Capstone schedule & Milestone

Budget

Expected Outcomes

Collaboration/Advisors

References

Competences

Elements of Proposal

• Title
• Summary
• Background (Justification, significance & literature review)
• Methodology
• Capstone schedule & Milestone
• Budget
• Expected Outcome
• Collaboration/advisors
• References
• Competences

 it should be informative, specific, and concise. Make the

title informative by describing the subject of the Capstone not the outcome

Title

A brief description of the problem you want to

address, the objectives, the significance, and potential contribution of your

the proposed thesis, and, briefly, the methods you will use.

Summary

Elaborate on the problem and its

background ( create outlines), and why your planned Capstone is important

 Significance and Background

Explain your medium and method and material

Methodology

Capstone schedule & Milestone

Budget

Expected Outcomes

Collaboration/Advisors

References

Competences