Black Box

An exhibition model to view shadow through a portal for the faculty show We’re Remodeling at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture, completed in 2018

Black Box reexamines the historical project of light in a contemporary building, in response to the exhibition that prompts the reading of a particular element in a historical project. Rather than modeling a building fragment, Black Box reconstructs a quality of light through aperture. Observed through a portal, visibility is subtly materialized. The project references the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, where numerous 7th and 8th century artifacts are housed. The gallery is devoid of sunlight for preservation. Lighting designer Shozo Toyohisa artificially stages an “internal, spiritual landscape” of 1,200 years ago to show the artifacts as they may have been seen before, through shadowy illumination. 

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Image Credit: Abigail Chang