Visiting Wortham Fellow at the Rice School of Architecture Michelle Chang has created A,B 1:2, a twisted “half house” installation in the university’s jury room. Built at a half scale, the project superimposes and bisects two simple cubes, playing with light and shade through skewed windows in order to demonstrate how architects and artists think about space, as well as how drawings and renderings translate into physical constructions.
I don’t want to get overly technical, says Chang. I just want people to see it and understand there’s something kind of weird going on in a couple of places and image what that does. A lot of my work is based in optics and perspectives, how changing certain assumptions of our representational conventions can lead to new ways of seeing. What’s interesting about doing these installations is they’re always so incredibly different from what I imagined them to be, working digitally.
With sunlight filtering through the high windows on three sides of the exhibit’s room, the interior character of the installation is expected to change throughout the day, influencing the interpreted locations of typical “bedroom” or “living room” spaces.
The spaces are defined more by the angular interior and play of light, rather than boundaries according to elements like walls, windows, or objects.
Watch the video of Chang walking us through her the project here.
The installation will officially open on August 26 at 5:00 pm.
While Chang’s fellowship will end next year, she will remain at Rice to become an assistant professor of architecture in July.
Learn more about the project here.
News via Rice University.
