Folding Topographies explores the relationship between two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations of space. This project uses a map and its two-dimensional representation of location as a starting point. By taking an understood reference of location and folding it into something entirely new, the original location and its meaning is bent and transformed along with it.

Folding Topographies uses a site along the Los Angeles River because of its history of water waste. By altering the location, this project aims at shedding light on this problem. It does this by physically folding the two-dimensional map into a three-dimensional form. A chosen set of rules were created to guide the transformation process. The rules are a result of attributing meaning to the information on the map and the actions of folding. After the map of the L.A. River was given dimension, it was reinserted back onto the original location. This reinsertion became a physical destination in which pedestrians could inhabit and experience. As the project has changed the physical site, so too might the viewer change their perception of the L.A. River itself.