LIVING LABORATORY
August 8, 2026
The Block House
Building 9
Nolan Park,
Governors Island
Thank you for joining us on August 8th for the culminating exhibition of the 2026 Summer Independent Project Residency at the Block House.
Featuring work by Amelyn Ng, Sara Dean, Finn Brunton, Ann Dinh, Martin Rodriguez Jr, Susana Chinchilla, Jahlik Parkes, and Amanda Ramos (2026 Summer Visiting Fellow), the full-house activation featured interactive installations in and around Building 9 and Nolan Park. From a mobile tool library, to a compost-battery garden, to a hand-cart station equipped with a solar radio - the 2026 Summer Residency cohort staged works that considered the island’s ecology and ways in which design can become an active tool for creating micro-infrastructures.
In the afternoon, Artist Talks were held in the main studio, inviting the audience into the research and concepts behind the projects. Fellows were joined by respondents- volcanologist and archaeologist Karen Holmberg (co-founder of the NYU Gallatin WetLab) and urbanist Jess Myers (Syracuse University School of Architecture) and moderated by IPA Residency Director Deborah Garcia.
The day ended with an outdoor reception and BBQ with food by chef javojavo.
Featuring work by Amelyn Ng, Sara Dean, Finn Brunton, Ann Dinh, Martin Rodriguez Jr, Susana Chinchilla, Jahlik Parkes, and Amanda Ramos (2026 Summer Visiting Fellow), the full-house activation featured interactive installations in and around Building 9 and Nolan Park. From a mobile tool library, to a compost-battery garden, to a hand-cart station equipped with a solar radio - the 2026 Summer Residency cohort staged works that considered the island’s ecology and ways in which design can become an active tool for creating micro-infrastructures.
In the afternoon, Artist Talks were held in the main studio, inviting the audience into the research and concepts behind the projects. Fellows were joined by respondents- volcanologist and archaeologist Karen Holmberg (co-founder of the NYU Gallatin WetLab) and urbanist Jess Myers (Syracuse University School of Architecture) and moderated by IPA Residency Director Deborah Garcia.
The day ended with an outdoor reception and BBQ with food by chef javojavo.
PROJECTS
Amelyn Ng
Island Assets
Digital/Architecture
Sara Dean
Pushcart Protocol: Exploring the Edge-of-Grid
Architecture/Micro Infastructure
Finn Brunton
Assembly/Line
Literature/History
Ann Dinh
Vỏ- : uncovering coatings
Multi-Disciplinary Design/ Materials Research
Martin Rodriguez Jr
A HOT MESH - COMPOSTING THE INTERNET
Architecture/Technology
Susana Chinchilla
Experiments in Exchange-Based Urbanism: The Creative Repair of Nolan Park
Architecture/Social Infrastructure
Jahlik Parkes
What The Water Remembers
Urban Design/Ecology
Amanda Ramos (2026 Visiting Fellow)
Take A Seat
Inclusive Innovation
Island Assets
Digital/Architecture
Sara Dean
Pushcart Protocol: Exploring the Edge-of-Grid
Architecture/Micro Infastructure
Finn Brunton
Assembly/Line
Literature/History
Ann Dinh
Vỏ- : uncovering coatings
Multi-Disciplinary Design/ Materials Research
Martin Rodriguez Jr
A HOT MESH - COMPOSTING THE INTERNET
Architecture/Technology
Susana Chinchilla
Experiments in Exchange-Based Urbanism: The Creative Repair of Nolan Park
Architecture/Social Infrastructure
Jahlik Parkes
What The Water Remembers
Urban Design/Ecology
Amanda Ramos (2026 Visiting Fellow)
Take A Seat
Inclusive Innovation
Summer Fellows
