Two Konbit Shelter project team members, Thaddeus Pawlowski and Sarah Walko, reflect on the nature of disasters and what they can teach us about how we become who we are. As they explain, “They reveal deep patterns in our nature. Artists are vital to the rebuilding process because they can help us recognize these patterns and the lessons embedded within them. By fostering a common vision and purpose, they can glue a city back together even more than housing and infrastructure, as they provide a psychic infrastructure.”
T. Pawlowski & S. Walko
Thaddeus Pawlowski is an Urban Designer for the Office Chief Urban Designer of the City of New York, Department of City Planning. He works on large scale neighborhood and infrastructure projects. He is also active in citywide sustainability initiatives including the Green Codes Task Force and a efforts to build New York City's resilience and adaptation to climate change. Sarah Walko is a sculptor, installation artist, writer, and filmmaker. She is currently the Executive Director of Triangle Arts Association, and is Art Director with the independent film collective Santasombra which shows at International Film Festivals around the world. She is currently working on new sculptures and her next film El Cadaver Exquisito will come out this fall.
