Postindustrial Playbook++Tue Jul 19 2022
Compelled by the contamination and industrial pollution of Providence, I designed this thesis to promote abundant over extractive resources and visualize a post-industrial reality. It consists of a series of objects, writing and design research on the relationship of industry and ecosystem, laying out possible strategies or “plays’’ for making do with what exists around us amid collapse.
Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) (虎杖), a plant that grows in the most degraded landscapes, is the central case study for this project. By making knotweed objects at three different scales, (silverware, table and raft), and discussing the xenophobic language around invasive species, this project investigates resilience and local resourcefulness within a post-industrial future.