Visual Communication
On Land / With Water: A Mobile Museum
Project Goals:
Design and construct Mobile Environmental Research Vessels (MERVs) to study the social and environmental relationships of Bayou Lafourche, support research methods, and create field studies courses in history, architecture, and landscape architecture. Then, to re-deploy the MERVs as an exhibition back to the community to stimulate debate and conversation around coastal land-loss.
Project Team:
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PROJECT LEADERS
- Michael Pasquier Associate Professor of History + Religious Studies
- Jeff Carney Former Director, Coastal Sustainability Studio
- Kristi Cheramie
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STUDENTS
- Dean Kelly
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PARTNERS + SPONSORS
- National Endowment for the Arts
- NOAA Coastal Services Center
- Historic New Orleans Collection
Communities in coastal Louisiana are experiencing first-hand the effects of a rapidly changing environment. On Land / With Water: A Mobile Museum analyzes, interprets, and curates materials collected through field research in lower Lafourche Parish. From this research faculty and students have created an exhibition showcasing knowledge gained and speculative design proposals informed by this research.
Direct + Broader Impacts
The project employs archival research, ethnographic fieldwork, geospatial analysis, and design speculation to build an archive of evidence supporting the ongoing negotiation between people, land, and water in Lafourche Parish. The exhibition was installed in various coastal communities around Louisiana.