<  1/18 >        Naho Kubota  

Landscape (Triptych)

An installation created for the Center for Architecture’s street front double-height space, LANDSCAPE (TRIPTYCH) utilizes technical rope and energy-efficient electroluminescent wire in tension to create a dynamic interplay of light and space, where each of the distinct materials is meant take precedence by night or day. The Center’s existing window frames work to define a divided canvas through which an abstract landscape is represented, its form inverting when seen in different light conditions.

Conceptualized as a sketch in light, the project emerged out of a desire to mimic the ubiquitous neon lights of other storefronts along Laguardia Place. EL (electroluminescent) wire, typically used for nighttime costumes, raves, or in various ways at events such as Burning Man, was seen as a material that could be repurposed and used here architecturally to create a low voltage neon-like landscape that would seem to continue from the sidewalk adjacent.

First drawn using 3d modeling and an interactive applet that allowed the design team to understand how different factors such as rope and wire lengths, density of rows, and locations of fixed points affected the resulting forms, the design-build installation took its final shape through a series of material tests and full-scale mockups in our office.

This project was the winning entry to an invited competition among the winners of 2012 AIA New Practices New York .