Plural Vistas
RISD MFA Thesis
8” x 11.25” book
Edition of 12
My MFA was shaped by a series of experimental gestures, projects that move across mediums and scales, material and experiences, often beginning with a question or a metaphor that plays within the space between the built environment and the natural world. I’m especially drawn to this intersection—how these spaces collide, coexist, and inform one another.
Plural Vistas introduces an expansive spatial dimension to the practice of graphic design. Each vista (chapter) engages the potential for design to negotiate the intertwined relationship between the built environment (structured language and hierarchical systems), and the reciprocal demands of the natural world (interdependency and entanglement). This thesis offers new ways for design to operate and extend into the world and our communities.
Plural Vistas introduces an expansive spatial dimension to the practice of graphic design. Each vista (chapter) engages the potential for design to negotiate the intertwined relationship between the built environment (structured language and hierarchical systems), and the reciprocal demands of the natural world (interdependency and entanglement). This thesis offers new ways for design to operate and extend into the world and our communities.
Each vista marker is mapped onto a latitudinal and longitudinal spectrum helping to spatially visualize the range in which my work resides.
This thesis is written in a series of ‘vistas’, short essays, 18 in total, each offering an examination of the design gestures and frameworks through which we experience and engage with the natural and built environments.
As the book progresses, the latitudinal vista line shifts down the page, suggesting an ever changing horizon.
As the book progresses, the latitudinal vista line shifts down the page, suggesting an ever changing horizon.
This thesis includes interviews I conducted with designers and educators, Jane Rendell, James Goggin, and Keller Easterling.
Completed 2025 at
Rhode Island School of Design
Advisors
Anastasiia Raina
Ryan Waller
Shona Kitchen
Bethany Johns