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academic exploration

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Safety as proxy: the yale bubble 

CSTD 200: Telling Stories with Maps
A map project designed and coded on the topic of what exactly defines the Yale Bubble. In an attempt to tease apart the socially constructed existence of the “Bubble” — a moniker used to capture the “ivory tower” confines of Yale University— I attempted to solicit findings along the lines of gender, race, and country of origin. Class taught by Aaron Reiss. 



 

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Olympic expectations 

CSTD 200: Telling Stories with Maps
A series of maps and images untangling the history of the modern Olympics, contextualizing the run-up to the Paris 2024 Games. Contact for more research. 



 

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Sticky rice, sticky stories 

ARCH 4253: Labs and Landscapes of the Green Revolution 
A draft selection of pages for an entry in the "Green Revolution Cookbook,” a book compiled for the class taught by Professor Anthony Acciavatti in Spring 2024 on the legacies of the Green Revolution. Entry weaves recipes, myths, and geopolitical histories of sticky rice to connect larger themes of food to culture, identity, and politics.    


 

to be human is to cheat

ARCH 200: Scales of Design


A work generated in collaboration with DALLE-2 in response to the question "What is a Figure for the Anthropocene?"

“Design is the basis of all culture: to deceive nature by means of technology, and to replace what is natural with what is artificial.” -Vilem Flusser

To be human is thus to cheat: to constantly search for ways to cheat gravity, death, and the limits of our planet— or the limits of our own consciousness.

Images were generated through DALLE-2, after playing around with several prompts, ideas, and inspirations. After multiple iterations, I picked the two that felt the closest to my aesthetic imagination. Printed on transparent paper and then layered on top of each other, the images blend into one another when viewed from either side. One prompt/image included the words “artificial intelligence,” and the other included the word “human.” Can you tell which side is which?






 

laura zeng architecture project #2
laura zeng architecture project

where do you draw the line?

ARCH 200: Scales of Design
 
Diorama constructed in response to the theme: urban scene in transformation.​

This project was inspired by the Line, a controversial project currently under construction in Saudi Arabia. With at least 12 reputable, global, and leading architecture studios already signed on, what does it mean that “architecture is often drawn to authoritarian regimes"? How does one balance current considerations with future benefits? And what are the lines we are— or are not— willing to cross? 

Dominica 

URBN 360: Urban Lab: an Urban World 
Examining Dominica, the world's first climate-resilient nation, in the wake of Hurricane Maria through analytical and speculative modes of research. Maps, surveys, collages, and political cartoons displayed here. In collaboration with Jade Villegas.  

laura zeng AI project

AI

 laura zeng AI project (alice mao)

art

Identifying artificial intelligence in art  

SOC 169 Visual Sociology

Determining whether people can readily differentiate AI from actual artwork via interviews and photo-elicitation methods. Images provided by artist Alice Mao. 

 

Contact for full paper/study. 

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