Philadelphia Art Alliance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Media Contact:

Melissa Caldwell

mcaldwell@philartalliance.org

215-545-4302

 

Philadelphia Art Alliance Summer 2015 Exhibition

 

Home is Where You Hang Your Hat

Austin + Merigold, ISA, Moto Designshop, Plumbob, Qb3

 

May 28 to August 24, 2015

Opening Reception: Thursday, May 28, 6 to 8pm

 

As part of the 100th anniversary of the PAA, Home Is Where You Hang Your Hat is an exhibition that incorporates newly commissioned works by five Philadelphia-based design/build firms--Austin + Merigold, ISA, Moto Designshop, Plumbob, Qb3--to create five separate but interrelated installations based on the history of the Wetherill mansion as well as the contemporary concept of the "house." Each firm takes into account the ideological meanings associated with the history of domestic architecture, the original function of the building as a residence, and the physical features of the first and second floor galleries of the Art Alliance. The resulting installations are not an historical recreation of the building as a private home, but an interpretation of the concept of home-as a reflection of both social anxieties and desires-for a contemporary audience. Ultimately, the exhibition invites connections between design, architecture and conceptual art practices, bringing the usual assumptions of a design practice into the realm of installation art.   

 

 

 Photo: Philadelphia Art Alliance 1918

 

The Philadelphia Art Alliance (cited on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia) was built as a residence in 1906 for Samuel P. Wetherill and was influenced by growing fashion for Renaissance Revival architecture in Philadelphia. The design, by Frank Miles Day & Brothers, looks to urban palaces of the High Renaissance in its refined exterior and references Italian culture and luxury in its richly decorated interior. On the interior, the rigid delineation of internal space reflected the standard models of the Victorian home with a front door leading into a hall running the length of the house, from which doors opened along one side giving access to various rooms. As with most mansions of the period, the first floor of the Wetherill residence contained two formal sitting rooms, a public reception room to greet guests and a parlor room for entertaining. Today, the physical features that signal a private home still coexist with their public function: the barrel-vaulted and coffered ceilings, original warm wood paneling, fireplaces, wainscoting, as well as a grand staircase rising to a landing that features a Palladian window with stained glass panels. These notable features serve as the inspiration for each of the five projects presented. 

  

Participants:

 

Since 2007, Austin + Merigold has extensive experience in a multitude of disciplines including architecture and landscape, graphic and interior design, development, and construction. They see their work process as one they term "slow architecture." Their practice is focused on solving design problems around multiple obstacles through available materials and long-established local methodologies. Looking for ways to rethink material applications has resulted in a variety of projects, including the use of alternative materials for roofing and siding as seen in several residential projects located in central PA, which was subsequently used in a public artwork on Governors Island, and later used in a recent exhibition commemorating the 500th anniversary of Andrea Palladio.

 

Austin + Merigold, SuralArk', Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, NY 

 

The origins of the studio, Moto Designshop, is a compelling story that has had a lasting impact on the way Moto approaches design challenges. Established in 2003, the firm grew out of an independently funded design/build and real estate development company. This humble beginning allowed the studio founders to learn from compressed budgets and the importance of designing efficiently. To them, design value is not only found in expensive materials, but also in how you design with -and- augment the qualities of the available. Moto's projects have appeared in various national and international publications, and their design efforts have received notable honors including the 2010 Philadelphia Emerging Architecture Prize, several Builder's Choice awards and have been recognized by the AIA with multiple honor, merit and 'Divine Detail' awards. In 2010 Moto Designshop was chosen by an international jury and Wallpaper Magazine to a selective list of 30 international firms producing innovative work and seen as the "next generation of interior pioneers."

                             Moto Designshop , Nikola Lenivets, Russia, 2012
 
PLUMBOB, a Philadelphia Architecture firm run by brothers Tim, Pat, and John McDonald, along with lifelong friend Howard Steinberg, has practiced architecture at the forefront of the profession, embracing cutting-edge movements like design-build and sustainability. In 1999, PLUMBOB had finished their first design-build project in the Old City neighborhood near downtown Philadelphia. Northern Liberties has served as both Onion Flats' laboratory and its muse, and their most recent project Thin Flats exemplifies both roles. Tim McDonald expresses admiration for traditional row houses and Philadelphia's signature Trinity buildings as "an incredibly inexpensive, modular way of building in the city for people who didn't have a lot of money. The firm's newest completed project, Thin Flats, combines both approaches, aiming to become the first LEED-Homes Platinum multifamily structure in all of Pennsylvania. They are currently in the  process of constructing Ridge Flats close to Kelly Drive and Fairmount Park. By using several high-performance building and sustainability strategies, Ridge Flats will incorporate renewable, recycled and locally sourced construction materials. Once completed, the project is expected to become a model of sustainable design and building practices.

                             Plumbob, Thin Flats Facade, Philadelphia

 ISA Architecture/Research is a design and research office that is a cross-platform environment for architectural design, experiments, special initiatives, and teaching which inform one another to produce innovative solutions, as well as create possibilities for design impacts at-large. Brian Phillips is founding Principal of ISA and directs the design trajectory of the office. Their research has been published in 306090, CITY, and a recent book from the Delft School of Design, and they have lectured widely on the impacts of telecommunications on cities, affordable housing, and their own work. Several members teach in the Architecture Department at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design where they conduct design studios focused on urban housing and seminars on various topics. Recently, Phillips' projects for ISA received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts.

  

 

 ISA, Looped in Philadelphia, 2013

 

Qb3is an award winning Philadelphia design studio, specializing in architecture, graphic design and product design. Their work explores the individual qualities of each design discipline while finding commonalities between them. Their design philosophy is to reveal the essence of each situation; making objects and spaces that convey a sense of simplicity, humanity and permanence. Founded by Stephen Mileto, Kevin Angstadt and Patrycja Doniewski, they capitalize on a blend of multidisciplinary backgrounds essential for a design/build firm. Angstadt and Mileto both have backgrounds in cabinetry, ironworking, and carpentry and
architecture, and Doniewski focuses on the graphic and visual representation of information as a critical step in realizing a project. The firm physically builds nearly half of all their projects themselves. Along with architecture and construction, it also specializes in custom furniture. Recent major, award winning projects include: Gallery 339, the Perret Residence, the Cheskey Residence, and the Split Level House.   


Qb 3, Split Level House, 2010


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For press images, please contact Melissa Caldwell at mcaldwell@philartalliance.org or call 215 545 4302 x 13

 

The Philadelphia Art Alliance is located at 251 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103. For more information: philartalliance.orgor 215-545-4302.

 

The Philadelphia Art Alliance is dedicated to the advancement and appreciation of innovative contemporary art with a focus on craft and design, and to inspiring dynamic interaction between audiences and artists.