Project by JUYEON PARK
Indigenous people, especially the Shinnecock tribe on Long Island, hold a unique belief system tied to their ancestral land. Unlike the Western colonial mindset, they see the Earth not as a resource to exploit, but as a living being — a source of life, knowledge, and healing. This belief has helped them survive spiritually and maintain identity under ongoing colonial pressure.
Through traditional beadwork made from local shellfish, they’ve long sustained their connection to the land. But in the Anthropocene, this legacy is under threat — ocean acidification, nitrogen pollution, and careless development by wealthy newcomers disrupt both nature and culture. Golf courses replace ecosystems. Trash poisons sacred waters.
Yet the Shinnecock already hold answers. A group of five Shinnecock women are reviving their bond with the sea through kelp farming — nursing the ocean back to health. Kelp captures carbon and nitrogen, offering not only ecological healing but also resources for food, fertilizer, and even biomaterial. This small ocean plant becomes a powerful force — a way to heal trauma, restore tradition, and reawaken identity.
Still, challenges persist: warming, acidic waters, suffocating algae, demanding labor, and no stable marketplace for kelp-based goods. This project proposes architectural solutions to support their efforts — spaces that care for both ocean and people. KELTOPIA is a vision for resilience, remembrance, and revival in a time of crisis.
