Blueprints of Utopia

Blueprints of Utopia

Blueprints of Utopia examines the relationship between utopian ideals, decorative design, and industrial development through the history of the Harmony Society in western Pennsylvania.

Combining photographs of historic wallpaper patterns from Old Economy Village with images of industrial infrastructure at Pittsburgh's Carrie Furnaces, these cyanotypes bring together two visual expressions of the region's industrial past. The Harmony Society's pursuit of a self-sufficient communal society was supported by extensive manufacturing, commerce, and investment, connecting its idealistic vision to the economic forces that transformed western Pennsylvania.

Through layered imagery, the series considers the intersections of ornament and industry, preservation and transformation, and the material traces of an imagined utopia.