2103’s student work exhibition at Pratt Institute’s Graduate Architecture & Urban Design is a floating cellular structure clad with image of student work. The installation produces an inverted landscape of color codified work through a large, but lightweight structure made of precisely cut cardboard.

This year’s exhibition grouped the work into clusters based on the type of project, where it was located, how it was conceived, and by semester. The projects from Spring 2012 to Fall 2012 were arranged in a simple three dimensional grid based on the above qualities. This grid was then dynamically adjusted into clusters around four qualities of the work. Each project was then used to generate a cell. This provided a cloud like cell structure that looked like it was grown rather than organized. The underside of this hanging structure was clad with color coded images of the student work. The clad “under belly” creates a solid landscape of images at various angles that visitors explored much like a cave, finding images in crevices as they walked around each cluster. The bottom appeared continuous and solid, while the structure above was very porous to allow for the ceiling light to still penetrate into the gallery.

The hanging installation was made of over 250 unique cells. These were each custom laser cut, assembled, and clad with custom cut images. The structure is exceptional light while still being very strong and taking up large volume. Much like a sponge and in many ways an architecture students education; it relies on redundancy, many connections, complexity, and irregularity to produce an overall structure that is light, nimble, unique, but still open in its ability to grow.

Photos: Alan Tansey