Deep Fragmentation

How do we anticipate the climate crisis? In an age when the unpredictability of nature is prevalent – how can we continue the momentum of comprehending the crisis at hand? This project proposes a climate crisis research centre that uses the explorative thinking and writing techniques of the Beat Writers through its architecture, methodology and function. The centre aims to predict and better anticipate the ever-changing effects the climate crisis has on the Bay.

‘Deep Fragmentation’ as a methodology was developed through a range of experimental design and research techniques, taking inspiration from a wide range of sources. It focuses on a non-linear way of working. Through cyclical processes of cutting and overlaying, assemblages are created forming abstract explorations of place, space, time, and journey. These shifting visuals create a sense of unpredictability within the project, which is incredibly apt for Naples, a city on edge. The methodology began with the creation of an unfolding sketchbook, holding fragments collected from travels in and around the Bay of Naples. One of the Bay's islands, La Gaiola, is known as a Cursed Island - as ownership appears to portend misfortune. One owner was John Paul Getty, who was infamously sued by his own son - as was predicted by Beat Writer William S. Burroughs during a 'cut-up' experiment. Burroughs’ 'cut-up' technique extends to both the architectural and programmatic development of the overall project. Through his cut-up experiments, Burroughs came to believe that ‘when you cut into the present, the future leaks out’ – giving the methodology a prophetic capacity. The methodology aims to circumscribe an architecture that mediates different natural, temporal, and ecological settings. The project’s architectural intervention, The Registry, actively engages with the Bay’s past, present and future water conditions. It archives coring samples and analyses the Bay’s conditions through a series of cut-out thinking and writing spaces - whilst re-registering the cliff face it occupies. It aims to highlight the ecological and environmental precarity of the terrain - an area deeply impacted by intense seismological shifts and intense marine pollution.