Memory Walks of the “Ungeographic”: The Demolition of Black History

Memory Walks of the "Ungeographic" is an exploration of how demolition serves as a tool to disproportionately misrepresent, criminalize, and erase Black people from Canadian history. Such demolition of space fits into a larger pattern of concealment and marginalization, painting a skewed picture of Black geographies in Canada. The project analyzes, interprets, and speculates, how the formation, distribution, and commodification of stories, memories, and political interests support such demolitions. Throughout this thesis I use modes of making— stitching, tearing, cracking, imprinting, casting, and cutting— to picture built space through its countless layers and threads produced by conflict, capital, subordination, and care. It explores how demolition harms the psyche of those impacted, and scrutinizes the associated built environment, as well as how the memories and stories of those who are unseen, undocumented and "ungeographic" govern agency in physical space.