White was an installation for the Studio 400 Bookshow. We began with the idea of a surface in which to hang books while incorporating seating. Through material explorations we found 2 mil plastic as a semi-structural material when wrapped upon itself. After weaving it, we were able to create an “inhabitable surface.” The installation was designed, developed, and installed by students in Karen Lange’s studio as a showcase for the first drafts of our thesis books. The studio worked collaboratively in order to procure enough material to design an affective environment — in this case 80,000 square feet of plastic sheeting.
The material was worked by all 40 hands in order to build the environment. The installation encompassed four days of building, looming, crocheting, stapling, bending, and tying. Additional structure was constructed with wood framing and rebar, a detail that was concealed for the final show. The result was a plastic surface to be experienced above and below, a comfortable net in which to read. It was important that none of the original floor, walls, ceiling, or framing would be visible. By enveloping user experience in plastic, we aimed to transport the reader to a bizarre playground. Additionally, smoke machines were deployed randomly further defining a new atmosphere while projectors displayed thesis videos on the walls of the installation from behind the “plastic curtain.”
