Thesis
A Way Of Thinking
Introduction
The National Parks hold a special place in my heart, not only did I get married in the California Redwood National Park, but I grew up venturing through many parks with my father. Now it is my turn to lead these ventures with my two sons. These adventures in nature have led me to explore the relevancy of the future of the National Parks.
National Park Services defines wilderness is an area “…where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain…”
Objective
Create a mobile urban portal that serves as an exhibition and uses graphic design to promote a heightened appreciation of National Parks and the experience of nature
Audience
a. Graphic designers who are interested in exhibition design about nature and natural destinations, who want to decontextualize nature into urban environments, who want to immerse a targeted audience in a site non-specific intervention
b. Allow young people and their families to experience distant parks and foster loyalty as conservationists and National Park attendees
Forms
A Guidezine, book, pop-up book and motion video that presents a Mobile Urban Portal (MUP); which stands in for the natural and operates as a portal to the National Park.
Purposeful Thinking
As a young boy I can vividly remember hiking the Temescal Canyon located in the Santa Monica mountains with my father. The fresh ocean air drifting upward through the canyon mixing with the damp, raw earth. Brushing up against anise, sage, oak and the occasional rub of camphor leaves and you have instant olfactory bliss. The drive into the park was always gratifying, for I knew we would be inserted into the natural world that would allow for my mind to wander and not worry about the critical words that my dad would bring to our conversations. It was an escape into a realm that would rejuvenate our relationship and fuel our ways as humans. As we would reach our destination of the small dribbling creek or the extended hike to Skull Rock I would be receptive to my dad as he would point out the red-tailed hawk that was circling above us. His exposure and respect for the natural world would continue to shape me as a young adult and into my practices as a father of two boys. I was ultimately given the tools to be shaped and replenished by nature and it lead me to be more confident in other environments. There was a connection with the nature and all its grandeur and wildness. That wildness could be scary at times, but it also warranted the respect that it rightfully deserved, it taught me more about my journey through life and how to value my surroundings and protect the future resources that my sons would come to know and participate in. I owe a lot to my dad for taking me on many hikes and discovering the natural wonders of Temescal Canyon.
