Watery Abundance
12–17–22
With Tianwei Li, Gwich’in Tribal Council.
Recipient of Award of Excellence from ASLA, American Society of Landscape Architects.
In collaboration with the Gwich’in Tribal Council, the body of work explores how design can sustain Indigenous foodways and undo settler infrastructure. Working with Gwich’in youth and community members, the project examines the impacts of the Dempster Highway—originally built for oil and mining—on land, climate, and caribou migration. The design proposes selective highway decommissioning and material reuse along riverways to restore traditional harvesting routes. Anchored by a community recipe book, the work frames food as ritual, material, and knowledge, positioning design as a decolonial practice rooted in reciprocity and relational care.
Category
Award, Landscape Research