The Third Seascape: A Deep Narrative of the California Coast

Twenty-seven offshore oil platforms line the coast of Southern California from Point Conception to Huntington Beach. They are some of the oldest in the world and are scheduled for complete decommissioning by 2033. Overtime, the rigs have adapted to the surrounding ecosystems, unintentionally creating habitat for fouling communities. The subsurface provides a vertical skeleton for coral reefs that support an abundance of marine life. This thesis reflects on kinship studies, deep time and the philosophies of Gilles Clément to inform it's theoretical positioning on design. Making the depths of the ocean visible fundamentally alters our relationship to the living and non-living entities that occupy it. This, in turn, re-positions ourselves as kin in place, space, and site, prompting a re-evaluation of our actions, thoughts, and design motivations in the process. Structured as five stories, the Ecologist, Mussel, Fish, Oil Particle, and Gardener create a circular journey through time and space.