Following the completion of the New York studio's recent office expansion, the team set out to create an installation for the new lobby - one that would reflect the culture and qualities of the studio.
The piece, simply called Spring, embodies two key aspects of the studio: a commitment to the exploration and application of contemporary digital processes and a social and collaborative studio culture.
The concept was to create an event in which the studio could author and produce the installation as a group, making the piece something that belonged to the entire team. The project incorporates the Woods Bagot logo as a signature 'super graphic', defining the entrance to the New York office.
Designs for the graphic were run though a simple image reader in Grasshopper, which translates images into a two-toned pixel grid of Nic Nac paper pieces.
While the first graphic was supplied as a beta test, subsequent seasonal banners will be developed by the studio and posted on an online voting site from which the next graphic will be selected.
This use of seasonal banners allow for multiple author concepts to be expressed, and though subsequent generations, develop a deeper understanding of the paper-pixel medium though the exploration of new effects and configurations.
Fabrication of the pieces used an in-house Craft Robo CNC paper cutter and simple 9×12 sheets of bristle paper, keeping costs low and enabling large-scale production.
The assembly of the piece was as important to the concept as the object itself. As a collaborative studio effort, the concept created a social event, termed 'The Knitting Circle'.
One Friday, the studio gathered around a common problem and worked through techniques, discovering more efficient methods for assembly and self-organising around tasks and specialisations, finding what was comfortable and fun. The result is a unique installation that truly represents the New York studio and belongs to the entire team.
Concept development
David Mans, Edmund Klimek, Matthew Stephenson
