Students from an architecture class have been working to put on an exhibit that will be set up in the Dudley Commons until April 27.
Kevin Moore is a visiting assistant professor in the School of Architecture.
"The title of the exhibit is Immersive," Moore said. "It is the final project for the students in elements of interior architecture."
Moore said the exhibit was an effort of the whole class and that the large models on display were designed and constructed by five small teams. A sixth team, he said, developed the graphics and a set of rules to unify the experiments into an exhibit.
"It's an experiment actually, and the projects test ideas we discussed in class," Moore said. "If a research paper synthesizes ideas in writing, these models synthesize ideas in the construction of a physical artifact."
Nick Purcell is a student in the class, and he was on the team of three students that developed the graphics and rules.
"The idea of the project was all about creating an interior space that one can be immersed in," Purcell said. "It is about being able to personally view each object for yourself, so people will see it differently."
He said there are six different boxes that a viewer can stick their head in and look around inside. He also said that a phrase they used to explain the exhibit was "see what's up" because when one puts their head inside one of the boxes they are supposed to look up.
"The interiors are not objects, but curiously enveloping spaces," Moore said. "So, the models have sprung tall legs and invite the public to immerse its head in new worlds."
Purcell likes the exhibit because the viewers are free to experience the exhibit at their own pace and in their own way.
"When you walk into the exhibit, there are no direction signs so you really don't know where you are going," Purcell said. "The act of discovery is a cool thing about the exhibit and it is my favorite part."
He said that it would be less interesting if there were specific directions and that it is better to let the viewer experience the exhibit how they want to.
Moore said he only had the vaguest sense of what the exhibit might become and that it is truly an effort of the entire class.
"Design experiments have a life of their own and that means embracing failure and happy accidents along the way," Moore said. "As with all experiments, not every detail is resolved, but delightful and unexpected findings have emerged."
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