Oasis is an exploration of utopian idealism, joy, and self determination - a combination of warm water pool & greenhouse filled with medicinal plants. The roof opens directly to the sky.
Visitors can pluck their own Native, African, and Indian medicine, learn about their use, swim, relax, and listen to their own playlists pumping through the water.
Simultaneous pressures of war, climate change, racism, threats to our reproductive autonomy, a broken healthcare system, and disillusionment with religious institutions surround us.
The need for joyful, spiritual and healing spaces is critical.
We wish to respond with the utopian generosity of an oasis that addresses structural inequalities in public leisure and access to amenities.
From 2022-present, I have been developing a process to create limestone from industrial leftovers. The system is zero waste, circular, and follows principles of biomimicry. Because it sequesters carbon dioxide from the air and water, the limestone is potentially carbon negative and climate positive.
The initial process was developed by architect Dr. Wolf Hilbertz in the 1970s, and I am modifying it to avoid mining/polluting the ocean.
By using local water obtained from rain, air, or tap, the end result is literally colored by the region in which it is created.
These objects were grown under water.
We will be experimenting with further uses and publishing our results. Limestone, besides capturing carbon, can be used to make sustainable architecture, potentially replacing mortar and concrete. It can also be used for products, castings, coatings, and as a pigment.