Date of Submission

Fall 2018

Academic Programs and Concentrations

Environmental and Urban Studies

Project Advisor 1

Myra Armstead

Project Advisor 2

Yuka Suzuki

Abstract/Artist's Statement

Fences, walls, and lines exist around the world, across many cultures, and are generally universally understood symbols of defense, inclusion, and exclusion. Barriers are created intentionally and their purposes vary. Fences can act as a tension or relief between public and private spaces. Physical barriers can been seen as metaphors for social dynamics and relations; boundaries can be reflections of both our internal and external landscapes. Incorporates fences / walls from a number of perspectives; historical, anthropological, archaeological, and cultural. Inspired by a reflexive moment in moving to a new town, buying a house, having a garden, and wanting a fence against deer; Wondering what new neighbors would think about different styles of fences. This resulted in an ethnography of a number of different experiences and memories from New York, mainly the Hudson Valley. The main question was, “What makes a fence culturally appropriate?” The goal was to explore various points of views, including mostly neighbors, a field surveyor, code enforcer, stonemason, gardeners, dog owners, business owners, homeowners, and renters. Themes and surprises arose from interviews. Analysis was done comparing interlocutors social openness compared with how open or private their fences were. Results on the year-long experiment of planting a border garden as a way to hold boundaries are taken into account and also includes season progress photos for context.

Open Access Agreement

Open Access

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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