Poetry and literature have long been used to explore the natural world in ways that can circumvent the pitfalls of scientific and technological determinism. Similarly, in the history of architecture and landscape architecture, new modes of drawing and rendering can add contour and depth to insights from the environmental and biological sciences.

In Spring 2023, Jeanne Haffner, Special Assistant and Director/Chief Curator of the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center and S.E. Eisterer, Assistant Professor for Architectural History and Theory at Princeton University, collaborated on a seminar for Masters and Ph.D. students called “Histories of Embodied Energy: From Turtles to the Grid.” The course followed the mission of the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center, investigating “the relationships between human beings, energy systems, and environmental stewardship.” Students toured the Center and surrounding site, and then chose an artifact from Jones Beach to work with for the semester. 

Having chosen an artifact, students wrote poems and created a drawing about it. But instead of producing abstract scientific diagrams or architectural renderings, they instead reflected upon alternative ways of representing the environment—ways that prioritize artistic, rather than strictly scientific, approaches. Maryam Popoola, for instance, sees an owl pellet not simply as an object for dissection but as a metaphor for the ever-changing nature of form. Valen Zhang’s poem and drawing considers oysters’ dynamic interactions with the ocean, beach, and built environment. For Marcos Garcia, beach grass on a sandy dune becomes a nexus between humans, lifestyles, and ecological impact. Masa Crilley depicts a horseshoe crab not in isolation, but in a long history that connects underwater worlds, Native American fishing practices, and industrialization.

This selection of poems and visuals reminds us of the continuing connection between art and environmental science, as well as the complex entanglements between environmental, social, and technical systems.

–Introduction written by Jeanne Haffner, Ph.D., Special Assistant and Director/Chief Curator, Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center (NYS Parks) and S.E. Eisterer, Assistant Professor of Architectural History and Theory, Princeton University

–Poems and visuals below created by Maryam Popoola, Valen Zhang, Marcos Garcia, and Masa Crilley