We often view Hadrian as a world traveler who designed his villa as a miniature of the world. However, this thesis exhibition of cultural artefacts highlights that Hadrian traveled time as much as the world. He found a people moving greater distances than himself – the Toishanese, Chinese pioneers to the Americas, created tower villas called diaolou, inspiring Hadrian with their aspirations for cultural transcendence. For a brief moment as the sun sets, it and the moon shine synchronically. If every design acts in a continuous lineage of appropriation, what differentiates homage from exploitation?

Program: Master of Architecture

Thesis Advisor: John Shnier