conversations with bricks and concrete
January. 28. 2012
“And if you think of Brick, for instance,
and you say to Brick,
“What do you want Brick?”
And Brick says to you
“I like an Arch.”
And if you say to Brick
“Look, arches are expensive,
and I can use a concrete lentil over you.
What do you think of that?”
“Brick?”
Brick says:
“… I like an Arch””
-Louis Kahn
Like this:
afloat
March. 8. 2010
re-imagine
the floors at every stripe
when the beast touched the ground
meetings on corners, walks to edges,
looking out-
afloat
woolen suspension in mid air
somewhere between matta-clark and the free market revolutions
I’m all steel and concrete
plaid
March. 6. 2010
in a nutshell, my life is a struggle against boxes in general and squares in particular (literally and otherwise)- but I see this out of a certain glass window, and it resonates…
…and the fact that it’s abandoned because one day they all stood up and walked out, just intrigues me even more.
…passing by
January. 11. 2010
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
The London underground had posters with that quote posted everywhere. So ironic. Here’s an aside:
We want stories told in the first two sentences, TV sports formatted to our limited attention spans, movies to get to the point already, clicks to respond instantaneously and have become so impatient that even flying (you know, soaring above the miles you would in theory need to walk, jump or swim?) seems tedious and prolonged…the pace of life and gratification are continually being shortened.
Even people who lament the loss of human interaction when conversing in their living rooms don an unapproachable air on the tube…and there we are, scuttling by each-other, anonymously rushing past a sea of abstraction.
Life without punctuation
I say, I
am merely, passing by
[un]veiling the Statler Hilton
July. 28. 2009
they asked for a local landmark to be veiled.
check that premise, and it begs to be un-veiled…desperately!
stop constructing convoluted contraptions and bring the building to life instead…
[AIA Dallas Statler Hilton Competition entry: Ishita Sharma + Preston Kissman collaborative- we did good I'd say]
wanted to keep the graphics graphic, clear and sync the visuals with the theme of the entry- cinematic, vintage glory…(of sorts)…thus the movie-ish-ness!
here’s my fervid verbiage from the board:
[un] veiling the Statler Hilton
a nostalgic cinematic introspective
The opening of the Main Street Gardens in downtown Dallas elicits the questioning of its very use- who will visit the urban green and what will they see/experience? The block is surrounded by no abandoned relics from Dallas’ glory- now obsolete. Yet, their presence is imposing, and amongst them the Statler Hilton stands dominant in the urban streetscape. Listed as one of America’s most endangered historic buildings in 2008, the Statler is a handsome structure and a monument to the aspirations of an entrepreneurial city- one desperate for a renewed life and un-veiling in a new light.
This proposal seeks to use temporary artwork to bring a sense of revitalization to the space and structure to metaphorically illustrate the best of the hotel’s 56 years shared with the Dallas community, and the possibilities that lie dormant within.
This is accomplished by transforming the façade into a screen onto which films are back-projected. Sheets or (removable) translucent film would be adhered to the interior of the Hilton’s first and second floor windows, and projectors connected inside would then project movies and images onto these surfaces giving the façade a constructed life- animating the façade as seen from the street and the park; thus transforming gardens into a silent outdoor theater for ‘Movies in the Garden.’ Additionally, subtle up-lighting of the Hilton’s façade at night allows it to set the stage for activities in the new park.
The films and images compiled from the collective memory of the city showcase Dallas in the style and splendor of its growing years through the experience of its citizens and the highlights of the Statler Hilton’s glamorous past- a 56 year journey through time. The façade alternates movie panels with static display panels narrating the exhibition, in combination with additional flat color panels whose colors reflect hues used in the interior of the hotel.
Recognizing that pedestrian traffic is important in rebuilding a sense of place and unwilling to impede upon the space of the street, this scheme seeks to attract crowds to experience movies of their city’s past and present, transforming an obsolete sidewalk into a gallery walk.
