Archaeological dominance by major Western nations has often resulted in the dislocation of cultural artefacts from smaller countries under the premise of better preservation facilities.
This project presents a solution to mitigate this issue: the design and implementation of The Bee’ééhózinii Archaeological Laboratory.
Designed to be built with traditional practices and rapid deployment to diverse archaeological locales, it seeks to equip nations with the resources to independently study, conserve and promote their own cultural heritage.
By doing so, this approach minimises the need for international artefact relocation, ensuring heritage remains in its Indigenous context – not only does this preserve historical value, but it promotes local educational opportunities and prevents cultural displacement.
This design looks at the impact it may have if deployed to the southwest United States, where there is a rich cultural identity that historically has been stolen and erased by colonial practices and external interventions.
See more of Isabel’s work here.