Desert Depths

A critical architectural approach to the Negev/Naqab Desert challenges Eurocentric and settler colonial narratives of emptiness, revealing complex, layered histories and ecologies. The study employs hybrid mapping techniques to spatialize conditions of migration, erasure, and power, creating deep cartographies that expose interdependent cultural and climatic worlds. By centering marginalized perspectives and confronting the Western gaze, the research offers a more inclusive and empathetic understanding of desert landscapes, countering dominant perceptions through student-led, open-ended design exercises.

Bernbaum, P., & Colbert, Z. (2023). Desert Depths. Journal of Architectural Education, 77(2), 390–409. https://doi.org/10.1080/10464883.2023.2233387