KJ



Aberrant Dynamics
Altered Archipelago Studio | Andrew Madl | 2025
This speculative design project, created in collaboration with a partner, utilizes Ascension Island and its legacy as a testing site to generate discourse on bio-cultural entanglements. The island is reimagined as a site for simulating extreme climate change scenarios, leveraging contemporary and projected anthropogenic activities such as controlled atmospheric re-entry of space debris and black, seed-embedded geotextiles that distort the landscape to heighten heat absorption. Once these extremes are in place, land imprinting begins, using TERRAROLL, TERRAPUSH, and TERRALITH imprinters to trigger chain reactions across the island and shape evolving microclimates and habitats. Lunar and Martian soil simulants are incorporated as strategic backfill to test biomass potential under intensified environmental conditions. Together, these interventions cast Ascension Island in the lead role for a dress rehearsal of our climate future.

 In collaboration with Blake(landscape architecture)

Tools:
Rhino
Illustrator
Photoshop
ArcGIS Pro
Blender
Kinetic Sand
CNC foam
3d prints
Weed fabric
Laser cut chipboard








 
Historically, Ascension has served as a test site for human experimentation, from a dormant volcano peak that was transformed into an artificial rainforest with introduced vegetation by Joseph Hooker from the original idea of Charles Darwin. Islands pose a unique opportunity for drastic measures to be taken in order to extend climate change infrastructure research. Building from its past of synthetic experiments such as green mountain and its influence on the stars above through unique space mission tracking, Ascension Island is called upon to participate as a testing ground for humanity’s greatest change, climate change.

 The TERRAROLL imprinters are dropped by helicopters at the highest point of the island. As they roll down, they set off a chain reaction, colliding with the TERRAPUSH and TERRALITH imprinters housed within the black tarps. This TERRAROLL imprinter is made of ecoconcrete and is designed to strike the other two imprinters. As it breaks apart, it forms microclimates around the island and creates coral reef nursery structures once pieces settle in the sea. The TERRAPUSH imprinters are placed at high elevation ranges. After being hit by the TERRAROLL imprinters they will eventually settle at mid range elevations. Where they will provide nesting habitat for seabirds with their concrete structure. The TERRALITH imprinters are placed at mid-range elevation. Once collided with TERRAPUSH, they move downslope and ultimately settle at low elevations along the beach of ascension. The TERRALITH imprinters are made from a steel-nickel alloy, which remains cooler than most metals. This helps lower the ambient temperature on the beach, supporting more balanced male sea turtle populations under rising heat conditions.









 In this speculative project, Ascension Island takes the lead role in a dress rehearsal for the upcoming performance of our climate future.

Knoxville, Tennessee k8jolly722@gmail.com
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