Defense Date
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Interior Design
First Advisor
Roberto Ventura
Second Advisor
Kristin Carleton
Third Advisor
Sara Reed
Abstract
My thesis approaches walking as a form of inquiry and the Flood Wall as a site open to reinterpretation. I believe that the way we walk changes the way we observe and experience the world around us. This contrast between purposeful and leisurely walking reveals how time and intention shape our awareness of space. When walking is no longer dictated by urgency, it invites observations and questions. Slowing our pace allows curiosity to emerge, which aligns with my design ethos of asking questions as a foundation for understanding and creating meaningful experiences.
The Flood Wall’s emphasis on uninterrupted movement prioritizes passage over presence, revealing a space designed to move bodies through rather than inviting them to stay. This absence of invitation drew me to the Manchester Flood Wall as my thesis project site. Through a series of design interventions along the path, I would like to explore the idea of transforming the Flood Wall walk into a landscape that encourages slowing down, exploration, and curiosity, while remaining considerate of bikers, joggers, and other users. These interventions are intended to reward those who choose to linger and explore by activating all five senses and including moments of surprise, delight, and discovery embedded within the walk.
Rather than prescribing a singular experience, this project speculates on how design interventions might invite moments of pause, activate unexpected senses, and curate instances of discovery along an exposed linear path. Ultimately, this work asks what new ways of seeing, sensing, and inhabiting might unfold when design interventions along the Flood Wall are experienced through curiosity rather than urgency.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-6-2026