Memory Distillery: An Island Journey

Abstract

Can we understand the memory of a place not by what remains but what has changed over time? When beginning the final project, the thesis was derived from general interests in adaptive reuse, visualization, and historic preservation. Although the final presented response embodies these interests, they remain supplementary to the overall goal of the project. The thesis question, serving as an ambitious backdrop, came from asking a bigger question: how can we use design as a tool to address the growing scars of climate change? The issue of climate change was originally approached, under a global lens, and left very little opportunity for a specific area of research. Until providing specific aspects of climate change to address, the project waded on varying locations in an attempt to narrow down research venues. Through combining the interests of visualization, historic preservation, nature, and maritime architecture, Galveston, Texas was selected as a location for where the project was to reside. After declaring the location of the project, the thesis was revisited, under the specificity of Galveston, with a focus on the preceding interests, and the umbrella of climate change.