Measured Displacement, 2023

Measurement has served as a tool that enables extractive practices and the sustained imbalance between nations which have led to the contemporary archive museum. The Ethnological Museum of Berlin’s vast collection of artifacts (many of which were stolen, or acquired under dubious circumstances) are being moved to and displayed in a reconstruction of a 18th century Prussian palace known as the Humboldt Forum. Through engagement with the history of measurement and the act of assigning a number to experiential phenomena, this project plays out a scenario where artifacts carry with them the climate conditions of their respective regions. By altering the system of climate control into one of climate simulation, the displacement of the housed artifacts is felt, and its effects on the building can be observed.

This project was completed in collaboration with Jasper Lai for A4106-11 Architecture Studio VI, taught by Emanuel Admassu at Columbia University, GSAPP.

Activism, Art, Architecture

CS