SCI-Arc Graduate Thesis exhibits 'Miniatures' at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel

SCI-Arc kicked off the 2016 GT Graduate Thesis semester on June 15th with a presentation of Miniatures at the prestigious Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery. Students in the M.Arch program presented their work-in-progress thesis projects in front of a jury of faculty, thesis advisors and invited critics. The theme of the presentation and review was Miniatures. Eighty-six miniature renditions of the thesis projects were displayed to the public int he gallery courtyard throughout the course of the day. Hauser Wirth & Schimmel is the Los Angeles location of Hauser & Wirth, the international gallery devoted to contemporary art and modern masters. The gallery is a new addition to the burgeoning Arts District and is located across the street from SCI-Arc.

The event began with an introduction by GT Graduate Thesis Coordinator Florencia Pita and a lively discussion with four groups of faculty and invited critics ensued. Among the critics were Aandrea Stang, Head of Education at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, SCI-Arc Director/CEO Hernan Diaz Alonso and SCI-Arc Vice Director/Chief Academic Officer John Enright. Each thesis project represents the culmination of the design of the miniatures including 3D printing, animation and combinations of images, drawings and colorful physical models. Sciarc GT Graduate Thesis Coordinator Florencia Pita says of the event, “This exhibition/review is named Miniature as it tries to move the physical model format from process-based iterations to predictions of future projects. The miniature compels us to think about the actual project and it aims at fabricating miniature buildings, cities and objects.”

The event marked the first public, educational outreach collaboration between SCI-Arc and Hauser Wirth & Schimmel and was attended by a large number of visitors to the gallery as well as faculty and students. The day culminated with a public reception in the gallery courtyard.

A fitting parallel to the current exhibition at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947 – 2016 which features a group of artists whose work redefines what sculpture can be, the current generation of SCI-Arc students whose work was displayed in Miniatures also seeks to reshape our notions of what architecture can be.

Selected Miniatures are on display in SCI-Arc’s Keck Auditorium until Friday June 24th.