︎ Tags: GSAPP, history, 2018

Drawing Palmyra investigates the continued destruction and rebuilding, both physically and digitally, of Palmyra, Syria, questioning the West ’s motives for intervention. It explores numerous time periods and their resulting geopolitical differences and the implications for Palmyra, whether that may have been for historic protection and renewal, exploitation of Roman artifacts, or destruction.
The never-ending fascination with the Roman ruins shows the West greatly values the site for its Roman (i.e. Western Civilizational) heritage, and not for the ways in which it was prosperous as an Arab city and a crown jewel on the famous Silk Road trade route.
The animation flies through time to show the different periods before and after the many times Palmyra has been destroyed and rebuilt, with a layered index showing the time periods and the lenses through which the site was analyzed. The photos of monuments and artifacts are placed where they stood or currently stand on the site plan.