Projects
- Tom Shankapotomous
- Jan 1
- 2 min read
Updated: 9 hours ago
Projects define the research frameworks that guide work across Shank Gym.Each project formalizes a way of looking at the world—establishing methods for field observation, documentation, and analysis that can be applied repeatedly across different locations and race weekends.
Projects are activated during expeditions and may generate multiple outputs, including race reviews, field analyses, and archival material. This page explains the structure of those methods; the results of that work can be explored through Expeditions and Field Projects listed below where individual outputs are collected and presented.
CORE PROJECTS
The Dirt Project
The Ground Below
The Dirt Project documents the geological and material conditions of race terrain, including soil composition, rock type, erosion patterns, and surface stability. It focuses on how ground conditions shape movement, effort, and decision-making on course. The project produces field samples, analyses, and supporting geological context tied to specific locations.
Example of Samples and Analysis
The Night Sky Archives
The Sky Above
The Sky Archives collect night-sky observations and astrophotography connected to race locations and travel windows. This work situates individual events within broader environmental and spatial context, emphasizing scale beyond the immediate course. Outputs include sky imagery, observation notes, and archival records linked to place and time.
The Deep Time Project
the Path Behind
The Deep Time Project examines the long-view history of race venues, including land use, settlement, and environmental change over extended timescales. It provides historical and temporal context that predates and surrounds modern events. The project produces place-based analyses that situate current landscapes within deeper patterns of change.
Expeditions
An expedition captures the intersection of research and lived experience.The race review integrates firsthand experience of running the course with on-site research—terrain, environment, and historical context—to give readers a grounded description of what the course demands and the conditions surrounding it.
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