Finalist for Black Rock Honoraria Grant - Burning Man (2020)

Windcatcher is a kinetic sculpture that reveals the unseen power of wind and provides a space in which the citizens of Black Rock City can connect with the natural elements of nature to power the machine’s movement. Wind propels the sculpture’s cupped fins through an elevated ring, while human force drives the rotation of the entire sculpture using friction and torque. Users can either mount the provided bicycles or bring their own by placing it in one of the available spots, pedaling to generate friction between the bike wheels and the base torque ring, which is fastened to the mast on which the elevated ring sits (causing the entire tower to rotate parallel to the ground plane). Through both of these dimensions of rotation, Windcatcher becomes a beacon, captivating audiences with its day-time motion and added night-time light show and appearing almost portal-like as it floats high above the playa. (“Dezino”)

Short-Listed for Bee Breeders Portable Reading Room Competition (2020)

Blueprint is a versatile reading room design that encourages community collaboration in order to curate a productive educational space that can adapt and cater to the specific needs of any community. By focusing on modular construction, sustainable & accessible material sourcing, and flexible assembly templates, this outdoor space caters to a variety of users. Whether you are in need of a quiet, solitary capsule, a semi-public lounging space, or a more collaborative, public arena, the meandering divider walls rise and fall to provide many levels of privacy, while also having mechanical connections that allow the user to piece together their own experience by rearranging the walls themselves. (“Dezino”)

This project tests the limitations and capabilities of wood based on type, use, and treatment. Standing at 12’ 2” tall, comprised of modular components no longer than 36” each, and including a 6” cantilever jutting out from the middle, this structure not only remains stable on its own, but also provides an aesthetic feeling of “weightlessness.” Each component is comprised of one central vertical strip (3/8”) and 2 curved laminated wood components (3 stacked 1/8” laminated strips total), which pair with the triangular platforms to create a waterfall, cascading effect.

A hyperbolic paraboloid is defined as a doubly-curved surface that is convex along one axis, and concave along the other, with every point on the surface lying at the intersection of two straight lines along the surface. This project uses standard concrete construction methods (formwork and flexible support rebar) in order to create a highly dynamic form that defies the typical rigidity of the material. Additionally, the form has sharply contrasting faces: one with jagged edges, bumpy coverage, and splattered color, and the other with a uniform, smooth texture and marbled colors.

This project plays with the properties of metal in several ways, including bending, welding, grinding, painting, and cold connections. The form appears weightless, with a continuous weave that outlines and connects each tread and riser, highlighted by the stark contrast between the highly varied materials (steel bar, chicken wire, and birch wood). The support frame and railing structure also weave together and provide support to either side of the accordion-like stairs.

Made from wire frame, laser-cut wooden letters, and polished bottle caps, all set on a thin plaster mold of my own face, Letter head is a life-size, hollowed out human shell, inviting you into the depths of its voided eyes. Split at the seam between the mind and the face, our outward appearance appears detachable from what truly makes us who we are. Letterhead is encased and enclosed by the very ideas that give it meaning. Who are we without language and speech? Who are we without materialistic representations of the elements that make us up?

Ohlone Park represents a multitude of histories that simultaneously compete with and complement each other, and it showcases the impact urbanization has had on the cultural landscape. For more than 500 years, Native American land has been fought over and developed on, and Berkeley is no exception. From the original abundant native landscape to more modern city-regulated renovations, Ohlone park has developed alongside its community, reflecting histories of ancestry, heartbreak, violence, political activism, and urbanization. Through laser-cut vignettes, this book reflects the development of Ohlone Park and its own cultural landscape over time.