SASSAMAN, GONZALEZ-TENANT, AND STEW,TOO

March 11, 2019

Dr. Kenneth Sassaman presented his new project, Ruins for the Future, to a standing room only crowd in the upstairs room of the library on Saturday, March 2.  Dr. Sassaman proposes to develop an interactive digital platform of the 1896 hurricane that disrupted the thriving mill industry and caused townspeople to relocate to the mainland. But did it really?

Dr. Sassaman asks what prior conditions left Atsena Otie vulnerable to ruin?    These include material conditions: social and cultural. The common belief is the only thing left on the island is the graveyard. However, underneath the surface are foundations of homes, cisterns, pathways, plots of land, etc.

Sassaman wants to recreate life as on Atsena Otie. Before Sassaman can repopulate Atsena Otie with “time travelers,” there is the need to decipher life on Atsena Otie. Then again, how far back to search for this digital re-creation, at least as far back as the 1850’s.  

Data, archival and digital, include usual paper records of birth and death, photos, newspaper articles, and legal and business documents. The foundation of spatial coverage on Atsena Otie is data from high resolution LiDAR, gathered from a low flying drone. This details outlines of any near-surface structure. These data are also useful for 3-D. Dr. Edward Gonzalez-Tennant who created a “Virtual Rosewood,” is tasked with creating a similar platform for Atsena Otie.

Dr. Sassaman states that a disconnect exists between individuals and archeology. Saossaman believes that this virtual Atsena Otie will aid persons to really understand extant conditions: material, social, and cultural

Sassaman states that understanding the factors on Atsena Otie before the hurricane can help us better understand climate change.

After the presentation, many of the attendee proceeded downstairs to where Ken Anglin and Donna Thalaker were serving Ken’s famous Brunswick stew.

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