The Cooper Union
Master of Architecture II Program
Project Name: PLANESPOTTING: Traversing the Meridians
Project Website: https://www.coopergt2020.com/
This Thesis began from three objects in one observable phenomenon: the sky, a plane, and its trace. The trace is the proof of the plane’s existence. Through the lens of relativity, the trace becomes the proof of our existence. As Peter Galison writes: “In looking down, we see up; in looking up, we see down.” The plane traverses meridians. These invisible lines construct the time and space of earth. Cutting through the meridians reveals the conditions underlying environmental, social, and political forces. Stepping into the meridians, we see the reality that reminds us of interconnections and interdependencies with other regions, making us aware of the particularity of one place and the universality of the globe. This thesis visualizes the meridians as sections and archives which register the intersections of culture, environment, and politics. The plane becomes a moving witness. Everything becomes relative, subsuming in one picture.
