Road to Revolution

For 30 days in the summer of 2015 architectural designer Abby Gordon traversed the island of Cuba as Shepley Bulfinch’s 2015 Howe Traveling Fellow. Gordon’s photos and writing document her course of travel and her investigation into the 1959 Revolution’s impact on the country’s infrastructure, and the way Cubans congregate and interact with their surroundings. The architectural language of Cuba is rich with Native, African, European, Asian, and American influence. The physical identity of the country remains essentially unchanged since Fidel Castro rose to power providing a strong physical presence and a pretense for discovery. The 560-mile exploration began in the eastern end of the island and followed the Revolutionaries’ route leading west. Her trip ended in Havana, Cuba’s largest metropolis and the city Fidel captured with the backing of the rest of the country. Along the way, Gordon met government officials, architects, historians, students, and locals of diverse backgrounds who aided her exploration. Their warmth allowed her to uncover social truths, explore decaying buildings, and experience urban, mountain, and rural settings. The photos presented in Road to Revolution aim to provide insight into the syncretic forces that shape Cuba’s architecture and the way its diverse community lives and engages with the physical environment.