Elena Manferdini Designs Installation for Seoul Art Show

At Human Scale, a new installation by SCI-Arc design faculty Elena Manferdini, sponsored by BMW, explored the role of automobiles in shaping our cities and our lives. On view at the Design ArtWork Fair in Seoul, Korea from May 20-24th, the show explored ways in which the city can change when people are placed at the center of the urban equation. It imagined what could happen in the near future if cars, humans and cities were to coexist, instead of existing in opposition to each other.

Placing visitors at the center of the urban experience, Manferdini's experiential installation had visitors feeling larger than usual. The volume of the buildings and the shadows on the floors and walls created a dynamic experience of density and at the same time, the shift of scale made them aware of their bodies being at center of the city.

This installation in Seoul is part of a larger body of work capturing Manferdini’s interpretation of the city. It complements another exhibition of the architect’s work, Building the Picture, currently on view at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Elena Manferdini teaches design studio and visual studies seminars at SCI-Arc, and coordinates the school’s Graduate Thesis program. More about her work at ateliermanferdini.com.