Vessels of
the Same Sea
Speculative Archive, Material Research & Site-Specific Installation
Vessels of the Same Sea is a site-responsive archival installation that re-narrates the Brooklyn Navy Yard through both natural and human history. I collected naturally fallen seashells along the Yard’s shoreline and paired each specimen with a historical vessel once built or launched nearby, using location as the connective thread.
Each pairing functions as a “double vessel”: the shell records ecological time, while the ship carries industrial and military memory. Through specimen cards, layered maps, and material displays, the project frames the waterfront as a shared narrative surface—where residual marine life and maritime history continue to coexist. It asks how an industrial site can still generate life, memory, and meaning after its original purpose has faded.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard
A Brief History of Human Side
Once a major shipyard of the U.S. Navy, the Brooklyn Navy Yard stood as a symbol of America’s maritime power. With the rise of steam propulsion, under the command of Commodore Matthew Perry, the Yard began constructing steamships for the Navy. Perry first served as executive officer of the Yard from 1833 to 1837, then returned as commandant from 1841 to 1843 before being reassigned to North Africa.
During the Civil War, the Yard remained under Union control. Some of the early U.S. battleships—such as the USS Maineand USS Connecticut—were built here. In World War II, the Brooklyn Navy Yard produced several Essex-class aircraft carriers and two Iowa-class battleships, the USS Iowa and USS Missouri. After the war, it continued to build ships, including the supercarrier USS Constellation.
Due to budget constraints, the Navy closed the Yard in 1966 and sold it to New York City in 1967. By 1971, the site was gradually transformed into an industrial park, though parts of its dry docks and historic buildings remain preserved.
The Sea Shell Paradise
The Narrative Shift Back to Nature
Today, the Brooklyn Navy Yard no longer launches ships, yet along its rocky shoreline, shells still gather and grow—a quiet continuation of maritime life. Even without shipbuilding, the Yard remains a site where the ocean keeps writing its own story.
