Island of
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Option Studio led by Sergio Lopez-Pineiro
Option Studio led by Sergio Lopez-Pineiro
CONTEXT
The project is to be located between the Diomede Islands – a site where political, cultural and climate conditions come into one place. Right in between the islands there is a U.S.A./Russia Maritime Border and International Date Line. Although Russian Island is located just 4 kilometers away from the US one, they are separated by almost a 24- hour difference. During War Wall, islands were separated, Big Diomede was occupied by the Russian army and all the native people were resettled to the continent. Nowadays the Little Diomede is still occupied by natives, which is looking for their resettled families.
THE POST
The Island of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow starts from a post, located on the intersection of all the current site phenomenons – right on the U.S.A./Russia Maritime Border and International Date Line.
The post becomes a moment of singularity, one gesture that synthesizes all the current conditions into one single point in space.
THE ISLAND
The post has a specific shape that allows collecting snow during the time (snowdrift technology). Exponentially, the island will keep on naturally growing with every day, never staying the same. The island becomes a clock, registering processes happening on this site. A clock, where the time goes differently inside and outside the island. Thus, being located on the border of two countries, the island becomes inaccessible and one could only observe how the time passes by.
The project is to be located between the Diomede Islands – a site where political, cultural and climate conditions come into one place. Right in between the islands there is a U.S.A./Russia Maritime Border and International Date Line. Although Russian Island is located just 4 kilometers away from the US one, they are separated by almost a 24- hour difference. During War Wall, islands were separated, Big Diomede was occupied by the Russian army and all the native people were resettled to the continent. Nowadays the Little Diomede is still occupied by natives, which is looking for their resettled families.
THE POST
The Island of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow starts from a post, located on the intersection of all the current site phenomenons – right on the U.S.A./Russia Maritime Border and International Date Line.
The post becomes a moment of singularity, one gesture that synthesizes all the current conditions into one single point in space.
THE ISLAND
The post has a specific shape that allows collecting snow during the time (snowdrift technology). Exponentially, the island will keep on naturally growing with every day, never staying the same. The island becomes a clock, registering processes happening on this site. A clock, where the time goes differently inside and outside the island. Thus, being located on the border of two countries, the island becomes inaccessible and one could only observe how the time passes by.
Diomede Islands
island development | day 1 - day 243
post | model
model of the island
