MLK & 35 - 2021

The US interstate system is one of the greatest public projects in history, but it came at a high cost to mostly black communities that were paved over for its inception. “MLK & 35” refers to a geographical intersection in Austin, TX, as well as reflections from my time spent there post 2020. The intersection of these two roads speaks towards the internal struggle Austin has with its performative liberalism and the historically racist policies that it and all US cities have fallen victim to

My interest in this project was first piqued by researching aerial photography of highway construction. These huge undertakings that required mass amounts of energy, labor, coordination, and intention resembled that of a giant scar cutting through the city. My goal with this project was to emphasize the violence and labor needed to build I-35 by recreating the wound separating East and West Austin. Using only hand tools, I split a log and carved a map of downtown Austin on one half and the reflected map on the other half. These mirrored images, resembling that of the Rorschach test, help the audience confront their personal interpretation of Austin’s past and future. The red thread joining the separated log speaks to the fraught connection between the placement of I-35 and the politically nefarious reason for dividing the city in half.