The Last Act
Spring 2025
Carnegie Mellon University
Professor Gerard Damiani
The Doomsday Clock, now set to 89 seconds to midnight, symbolizes humanity’s closeness to global catastrophe, largely driven by climate change and environmental degradation. Pennsylvania’s ecological history was shaped by wine production, introduced by European settlers in the 17th century. Vineyards led to deforestation, soil disruption, and the introduction of non-native grape species, along with pests like phylloxera. Monoculture farming increased dependence on pesticides, affecting soil and water health. Today, climate change threatens the wine industry with rising temperatures, unpredictable weather, and increased vine diseases. This history highlights human-driven landscape changes and the need for resilient agriculture to combat the effects of a warming climate.
Conceptual Collages
“Because the Native Americans saw the Earth as bountiful, they did not immediately recognize that the settlers’ way of relating to the land-by clear-cutting trees, setting up permanent settlements, and building fenced enclosures-would make their own ways oflife ecologically untenable. Only when the settlers’ ecological interventions began to disrupt their food chains did the Indians begin to see them “as sources of permanent disequilibrium,” it was by planting, and creating “plantations” that settlers claimed the land. Settlers cleared large areas of native forests to plant grapevines, reducing tree cover and disrupting local ecosystems. Vineyards require well-drained, sloped terrain, leading settlers to plow hillsides, causing soil erosion and nutrient depletion. Without tree roots to stabilize the soil, heavy rains washed away topsoil, reducing land fertility and contributing to sedimentation in rivers.
The emergence of Indigenous-owned wineries in Pennsylvania signifies a positive shift toward environmental sustainability and cultural revitalization. These enterprises often prioritize eco-friendly practices that align with traditional ecological knowledge. For instance, many Indigenous vintners avoid harmful pesticides and herbicides, fostering biodiversity and preserving natural habitats. This approach may implement sustainable land management techniques, such as maintaining forests and wetlands, which enhance carbon sequestration and soil health. By integrating ancestral wisdom with modern sustainable practices, these wineries not only produce quality wines but also contribute to environmental conservation and the preservation of Indigenous heritage.
Formal Studies and Structural Design of Steel-Reinfornced Concrete Barge Hull
Exploded Study of Reinforcement
Model Making Process
Structural Design Representational Model; Mahogany, Walnut, Pine
Table Making Process
Booklet Spreads
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