Year 5

Semester 1: Trinidad Re-purposed Sugar Mill

Fragmenting Sugar

The Brechin Castle Sugar mill––the final operating mill of Caroni (1975) Ltd——stands as one of the ghosts left behind by Trinidad’s fallen sugar industry. Upon visiting this site, I found myself fragmenting the structure, photographing it in pieces and focusing on key moments. It is difficult to experience its totality, only engaging with certain pieces at a time. This proposal seeks to heighten that experience, emphasizing the sense that something is missing, both visually and historically.

Professor: Tao Dufour

Semester 2: Thesis

Traces

Graffiti, Skateboarding, and the Appropriation of Space

This thesis focuses on the Miami Marine stadium as a case study for the appropriation of abandoned space by graffiti writers and skateboarders. Graffiti is often thought of as the first thing to go in a restoration project. This proposal challenges that notion and addresses its importance within a building’s timeline. It seeks to revitalize the building and its surrounding site in a way that caters to the new user groups that have claimed this space as their own. In doing so, this project is acknowledging the continual changes buildings can undergo, highlighting them and offering the opportunity for further change and growth.

Advisors: Medina Lasanksy and Dillon Pranger