A Novel Approach to Pipelines
One of energy transportation company Enbridge’s oil pipelines, Line 5, runs along the lakebed between lakes Michigan and Huron. If the pipeline were to leak, the resulting oil spill would be disastrous. In one class, I looked at this issue through a Systems Analysis perspective. In the Freshwater Lab that same semester, I took a more creative approach to the problem.
A Modern Frankenstein
The Freshwater Lab encourages students to analyze both the problems and opportunities of the Great Lakes in a variety of ways. One of the projects to come of of the lab was The Backward River, a creative endeavor that gives literal voices to Chicago's many waterways.
In listening to this presentation, I was struck by how anthropomorphising the Chicago River's branches gave them so much agency that their problems seemed to be their own faults rather than that of the people who use them. In thinking about this, I visualized the human relationship with water and pollution as more of a Frankenstein's monster approach - we create the problem and then blame the creation.
Sketch of Line 5 Monster
I created this sketch when I was visualizing what a pipeline monster might look like. It is basic on paper, but in my mind's eye, I envision something you might see in a Godzilla movie.
The result is an initial concept for a science fiction novel which closely parallels Shelley's original Frankenstein. A young man working for Collins Construction, Co. in the 1950s finds himself working on a pipeline that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac. When the pipeline starts to gain sentience, who is at fault for the resulting catastrophe?
Below you will find my initial ideas for this novel, including a rough story outline, character concepts, and drafts for two chapters.
Line 5 Story - Outline.pdf