Info
Selected Texts
Resume
uzayragha@gmail.com
24 chaukandi
23 going home again
22 scaffold
22 vecindades
21 sky landing
20 sub-forms
24 guneywah farmstead
23 fragments as a whole
23 post plantation landscapes
21 building project
with Mariel Lindsey
Advised by Mabel Wilson and Jordan Carver
New York City, USA
2023 (Academic)
The Seneca Village Burial Ground and Memorial addresses the profound impacts of political and economic independence on citizenship and land ownership in the US, focusing on the historical narrative of the free Black community displaced by the creation of Central Park. This project seeks to unravel the intertwined nature of political and economic freedom by reflecting on the hardships faced by formerly enslaved individuals, who, despite their newfound freedom, encountered significant economic barriers that impeded their ability to fully integrate into society. The memorial space, established on the site of the original Seneca Village in Central Park, aims to honor the memory of its residents and counteract the erasure of their existence through eminent domain. It transforms the land into a burial space for future descendants while challenging the traditional notions of property and ownership that perpetuate exclusion.
The design introduces a community land trust as a mechanism to reclaim and repurpose land previously owned by Seneca Village, emphasizing a new model of land stewardship that prioritizes the needs of descendants over future commercial exploitation. By integrating memorial elements such as a stone marker, a flexible wooden structure, and burial sites for descendants, the project creates a layered and evolving landscape. This approach allows for continuous engagement with the site's history, supports ongoing genealogical research, and fosters a connection between the past and future generations. The project ultimately seeks to redress historical injustices and offer a more equitable vision of land use and community preservation, challenging the legacy of racial and economic inequalities.