Absence/Presence

Critic: Karla Rothstein

Team: Zoyi Lin, Yifei Wu

Tides rise and slowly erase Hart Island.  Edges become vulnerable through incessant encounters with accumulating water. Voids left by densely packed lines of Hart Island’s Dead resist nature’s movement. Through zones of delicate reinforcement, the Island will extend its territory. Remembrance is woven into a new era, and the presence of absence creates bridges between the past and future urbanity. Leaving behind its anonymity, Hart Island will become a highlight in the city’s memory. Absence/Presence proposes a more ecological and sensitive way of corpse disposition. Through the process of methanogenesis the corpse will produce energy which will illuminate the floating cemetery. Beloved ones will be grouped in a calendar matrix, creating a new concept of mausoleums. The vessel containing the corpse will also generate CO2 that will be encapsulated in plastic spheres, these bubbles will be collected inside of the sanctuary’s walls. The architecture proposed will change overtime, adapting itself to the sea level rise.  

Columbia University, GSAPP