Miranda-Max de Beer

Cabinet of Curiosities: Phillipsdale Landing
Phillipsdale Landing is a former industrial mill complex on the Seekonk River in what is now East Providence, RI, and was home to corporations such as the Washburn Wire Company beginning in the late 1800s. The site now can be aptly described as a riverside pile of rubble and rusty metal. This juxtaposition of gravel, slag, and steel speaks to transforming raw materials into refined merchandise and unwanted byproducts. The cabinet, thus, mirrors this narrative from left to right. What begins as raw geology from the Northeastern US is transformed by introducing industrial enterprises like Washburn to the site. What gets piped out includes a man-made material and the remnant debris of this transformative process, leading to the industry's eventual decline and demolition. The rusted pieces of scrap metal and slag were collected on-site in Spring 2021 for RISD’s “Site, Ecology, and Design” studio.






