AQUEDUCT
August 2023 - December 2023
This research-based project was developed during a study abroad semester in Rome through the Cornell in Rome program. The work explores sites where the tension between tourism and makeshift habitation is particularly evident in a city grappling with a short-term rental crisis. Created as part of an assignment in which artists responded to a randomly assigned location, this observational series of drawings pauses at a table placed beneath the Aqueduct of Nero—an almost imperceptible attempt to restore normalcy in a makeshift home environment.
The Aqueduct of Nero once carried water to the Domus Aurea, a lavish palace designed for entertainment. Today, it runs through a secluded park where people sleep on benches amid piles of garbage, with a few tents pitched for shelter. Beneath this yawning aqueduct stood a small wooden table.
This series of drawings marks a departure in style, shaped by the immediacy of on-site digital sketching. However, key elements of James’ practice remain: thorough research before visiting, an observational documentary approach, and a focus on narrative conveyed through location rather than figures.
Form & Content
As is typical when working within an observational documentary framework, ethical considerations were carefully addressed, leading to a more nuanced narrative of the location. Rather than documenting the tents and makeshift homes, the work narrows its focus to a single, subtle gesture.
The Challenges
The themes explored in this work—tensions of housing and the social and environmental implications of touristification—were carried over into later explorations of the wounded swampland surrounding Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
