Everyone here is faking it.

Harvard University | 2018 | Kirkland Gallery

Drag means many things to many different people. To some it is reality or escape; to others, satire, parody, and farce. Above all, however, drag is the queer art of metabolizing and questioning the impositions and expectations of society. “Everyone here is faking it.” turns the lens of drag onto the culture of the GSD and design school at large—our black clothes, our academic armors, our extension of self through project and product. The title of the exhibition should not imply that people are inauthentic or unprofessional. On the contrary, professional authenticity grows out of bravado born of discomfort and uncertainty that allows us to learn and become that which we present ourselves to be. In essence, you fake it ‘til you make it. Here again, drag provides a space for the tension between what we say and do, how we think and feel, to resonate.

Ceramica Simbiotica

Val Taleggio, Italy | 2018 | Nature, Art, & Habitat Residency

Water is political but not partisan. It simultaneously inscribes lines between countries, peoples, races, and still flows defiantly past political boundaries. Water can be both a promising means of transport and also a scarce commodity for imperiled migrants, responding to the call of prosperity like a mountain steam beckoned by gravity. Ceramica Simbiotica is a reflection on the relocation of refugees to the remote villages of northern Italy and the resultant challenge of finding community while being perceived of as a transient other. A series of puzzle-like water vessels reactivates the fontanella—an ancient Italian symbol of democracy and equality, spatialized as infrastructure. These vessels, left at the village fontanellas, become a social node by requiring communication and collaboration in order to function.

DECQUÉ: An Experiment in the Couturization of Decomposition

MIT Media Lab | 2018 | Introduction to 3D Artwork

Why is it that we only pay attention to the living things in our life when they are novel and new, at their healthiest—fruits, vegetables, pets, and people? Commoditization and the constant churning of material culture has skewed how we value the lifecycles of these organic things. Instead of seeing a sublime beauty in the bespeckled skin of decomposing produce on its way to becoming nutrients to support yet more life, we respond with disgust and revulsion. DECQUÉ complicates this normative perception of death by highlighting the aesthetics of decomposition through a collection of bespoke apparel.

Watercolors

Turkey | 2012 | Study Abroad, Istanbul Technical University

This series was completed as part of a semester abroad in Istanbul, Turkey and was selected for exhibition in 2018 in the Harvard University Student Art Show. All pieces are approximately 9” x 12” in size.

Hand Drawing

Drawing is foundational to Samuel’s work as an architect, artists, and academic. This small collection of drawings represents the various styles, methods, and media that he has developed over the course of his career.