This document provides an overview of the Hidden ARTifacts exhibit that will showcase the artistic process of 14 architect artists. It will include their art labels bound into a book along with essays from architects and critics. The exhibit will also host educational events about architecture. The goal is to not only showcase the art but also fund the creation of a permanent peer learning space for architects after the exhibit closes. The exhibit is hosted by Building Bridges Art Exchange and was curated by Jenda Michl and Marisa Caichiolo.

1. Welcome to Hidden ARTifacts :: the Architectural Process
You are holding the precursor to a very special book. Bound here are the labels for the
art of 14 of our artist/architects, presenting not only their art, but also their take on the
creative process that unites architects the world over.
Soon, all of the labels in the exhibit will be bound and narrated with essays from
noted architects, professors, and critics. The resulting hardcover book will offer an
unprecedented view of the architectural design process, and empower everyone to
welcome more design into their lives.
During the show, we will also be hosting an event series consisting of classes and talks
pertaining to the world of architects, but often geared to the novice. In addition to
an art show and pop-up education hub, Hidden ARTifacts is also a fundraiser for the
permanent establishment of a peer-peer academy and architectural marketplace after
this exhibit closes.
A SPECIAL THANKS must go out to our amazing host, Building Bridges Art Exchange
and all those that made this possible. Donations can be made directly to the gallery, or
on www.hiddenartifactsbuildingbridges.com
Created by: Jenda Michl
Co-Curated by: Marisa Caichiolo & Jenda Michl
Special Exhibitions Coordinator: Daniel Schuster
Book Design by: Michelle Lozano
CoCoordinators:
Jesus Antonio
Michelle Lozano
Anthony Morey
Sherine Teymour
Viviana Vivero

2. CRYSTAL TAN
The Vortex |
This aviary structure is inspired by the organic shape
and movement of swarms of birds gathering to
eat insects in the sky. The Swifts circle around the
spectators as they walk up the spiraling staircase,
and together they create a vortex; a vortex that
brings people up to another world in the sky, and
allows birds to coexist with humans. The pieces
explore the different medias of visual representation
to communicate ideas in both two-dimension and
three-dimension.
The atmospheric qualities are captured with a
different technique from 2D to 3D. The mixed-
media hybrid drawing was created first and drove
the design of the model. An alleyway in the Watts
neighborhood was chosen for the site, which was
digitally modeled and transferred onto wood by
tracing carbon paper. The design intervention is
printed onto gampi paper and pasted over the
transfer. Final details were drawn in and the gampi
paper trimmed to follow the flow of the printed
graphic. The 3D translation of the piece was built
three times before a successful technique of the
model’s structure was figured out with an inner and
outer core layered with various materials, a similar
layering technique in the mixed-media drawing.
Woodbury University Student
Mixed Media

3. SARAH DENAULT
CautionTape Jacket |
I manipulated a single non-clothing material by
hand to create a Mao Uniform Jacket, chosen
because it provides a very simple and structured
starting point, thus allowing us to read the effects of
our chosen material more clearly. I chose CAUTION
tape because I liked the variability given by its text
and opacity. I discovered that, when braided, the
variability of the tape made a marbling effect almost
akin to snakeskin.
With that, I braided, coiled, wove, layered, and tied
nothing but 2,300 feet of the CAUTION tape to make
a jacket that reads as if it were made with fabric. The
CAUTION TAPE JACKET is another example of the
power of materiality to transform an outcome, no
matter the rigidity with which it is applied.
Box of Poems |
Thisisaboxthatholdssomethingdear
to me: poems. Instead of sitting inside
the box, the poems make up the box. I
like to weave words together to write
poetry, so I literally wove words to
write this box. I wove strips of canvas
according to a strict grid system,
and given the soft nature of canvas,
the box came out with rounded and
imperfect edges, looking more like a
basket than a box. The construction of
this box exemplifies my most personal
design technique, which is purposeful
organic. I like allowing materials to
transform a rigid production system
or technique, such as weaving, into an
organic final product. It exemplifies
the contradiction and complexity in
architecture.
University of Southern California Student
Caution Tape and Canvas

4. ALEXXA SOLOMON
Wave Sculpture |
Architecture is more than just designing a building
or creating shelter. It is a form of art that takes effort
to develop into final product. When designing a
new project, I try to look for inspiration outside of
architecture. In this piece, I was inspired by the
reflectionandpatternoftheoceanwhenthelighthits
the water. I analyzed the ocean waves, reflections,
patterns, plants, colors, and sea creatures. I gathered
feedback and developed a system that provided the
structure of the art form and attachment of the skin
facade.
Notably,timededicatedtoarchitecturegoesbeyond
the production plans and drawings – first we must
determine what the end product will be, and the
design process to get to the point of a final model or
design requires the consideration of materials that
best represent the narrative. Considering elements,
I chose riveted aluminum modules and perforated
sheets to fully represent the idea of reflection and
patterns of the ocean waves.
University of Southern California Student
Steel

5. AMANDA CLAY MIKE ANDERSON BAHAR ABEDI
The goal of this project was to create a modular
surface that was different on each side and could
interlock to create depth and texture in the surface
through the medium of vacuum forming.There were
many stages of exploration in this project including
learning how to work with and assemble our own
vacuum former for the class. Different plastics and
different depths of pulls were experimented with, as
weworkedoutdifferentdesigns,andthepossibilities
and difficulties in designing two different molds that
would interlock to create a rigid surface.
This project was all about the creative process and
bringing a seldom used form of manufacturing
into the realm of architecture, and pushing it to
become something that could build upon itself and
eventually grow to stand on its own, to act as walls,
facades, dividers or lightweight canopies. While
this stage of the project has not reached the full
potential we are reaching toward, we feel that is has
that potential to add to the discussion of vacuum
forming in the architectural design world.
Woodbury University Students
Vacuum Form Research, Plastic

6. CHADI HAKIM
Pneumatic Models |
Models are used at the beginnings of projects to
discover an approach to projects. In this case models
enabled me to think about how the pneumatic
system could work on different scales. For example
the big model was built to show two scales of the
project, one at the scale of a room and how the
pneumatic system can completely change the
dynamic of a room by distorting the corners. The
second scale could be kept at 1:1 scale to show how
the system could take over the spaces between the
structures, creating a new type of insulation that
could be responsive to temperature and different
conditions. Attachedtothebigmodelisanelectronic
control board that controls the pneumatic materials
by inflating, deflating, and generally controlling the
pressure of the cavity inside the silicone membranes.
The smaller study models later became important
aspects of the project, including a wall that can
inflate as a response to a physical cue, a space that is
hidden and are only accessible when it inflates, and
a slight change that renders a space unrecognizable
Woodbury University Student
Pneumatic Materials, Electronic Control Board

7. ALISE ROBLES
Elmer’s Glue Jacket |
This Mao jacket made entirely of Elmer’s glue was
conceived of as a response to a project during a
studio called“Craft:Truth in Making, An architectural
Inquiry”. The Mao style jacket was chosen because it
represents a known silhouette and its detailing and
structure are plain and unembellished. My interest
was in using Elmer’s glue as my unconventional
material and manipulating it through a conventional
fabric operation technique called smocking. The
Mao Pattern only gives lines but says nothing about
surface or depth, which is what architecture begins
to talk about.
The jacket is an exploration of how through the use
of a single material and single operation technique
surface and depth can begin to be expressed. The
fabrication process consisted of drying a total of 3
gallons of Elmer’s glue into 1/16”sheets.Then taking
these two-dimensional 1/16”sheet casts of glue and
heating the sheets to become malleable enough
to fold into the smocked geometry. This project
examines parallel processes of design present in
both architecture and fashion, including the use
of two-dimensional instructions, pattern and plan,
to achieve three-dimensional form, clothing and
building.
University of Southern California Student
Elmer’s Glue

8. I urge you to stare, look, get lost and
make your own jumps, leaps, and
assumptions and bring them to life.
The goal was to find a way to be able
to draw nothing but evoke everything.
To bring our childhood wonder and
imagination back into Architecture.
ANTHONY MOREY
Thinking |
“You cannot depend on your eyes when your
imagination is out of focus” Mark Twain
Architectural drawing has long been seen as a static
art, something that represents a predetermined
object, something already known. The drawings
here are meant to challenge that idea. At points
there is more joy in discovery than knowing and the
drawings are meant to give more questions than
answers. Each drawing in itself is a finished work,
one that seems to look like the architecture drawings
we know, yet they don’t show a building, section, or
elevation until you discover it.
To strengthen this idea each variation can be
endlessly layered with another, reorganized and
reconstructed to make a new variation. Endless
options of white over black, black over white, or
black over black are all allowed and encouraged.This
allows for a constant reinterpretation of possibilities
of each single drawing, using them as templates of
ideas.
ynotWORKSHOP
Ink on Mylar

9. KANE YANAGAWA CHARNG SHIN CHEN
Re-Inflate |
Material research and fabrication methodology are
important aspects of the design process at sKY_
Associative. Our approach to architectural design
stems from a broad foundation, drawing from
inspirationfromthevisualarts,fashionandindustrial
design. Re-Inflate explores the contradiction
between the physical properties of compression and
inflation through computational design simulation,
digital fabrication technology and responsive
material properties in this age of pervasive
computing. We investigated the translation and
transformation of digitally captured data to design
form, and the emergent characteristics of the spray
forming fabrication process.
Through this experimentation and research our
design work is informed by this process on multiple
scales of application from interior building finish
to overall formal expression. In the end, at each
stage of the design process from data capture,
computational simulation to digital fabrication,
design intuition remained an invaluable resource in
the corroboration of design concept, functionality
and aesthetic.
sKY Associative, Taiwan
Materials Research

10. YUAN YAO
Mobius Wait |
Waiting is a given in our lives. We wait to be born,
to grow up, and to die. We wait to go to school,
to graduate, and to work. We wait for something
we want to get, something we want to see, and
something we have to do. Sometimes we enjoy
waiting and sometimes we are tired of waiting.
Sometimes we know the reason for waiting, and
sometimes we don’t know the reason for waiting.
Waiting is a ceremony in our lifecycles, to be
respected and even held sacred.
This piece is a study of the many moments that
people are waiting and proceeding. Efficiency
in architecture and buildings is important to
the experience of them, and what better way to
understand the ‘circulation’ space in a building that
to truly focus on, experiment, and study it? This
project presents a conjointed double spiral celestial
space, and with it the waiting ritual. People go
forward along the spiral ramps, wait behind other
people, and meet other people at the intersections.
Spirals in each ball are endless loops that people
ascend and descend. Gradually, people are confused
about the space and confused about the meaning of
waiting. In the meanwhile, they are more eager for
the escape from the endless waiting, and ready for
activation. This is an extreme study of the profound
power architecture can have on experience.
University of Southern California Student
Acrylic, 3d Fabrication