Mazes have always been mysterious, disorienting forms of architecture. Although less seen in its physical form today, this experiential archetype has been given a fresh, design-forward spin by Rafael de Cárdenas and his practice, Architecture At Large for Visionaire’s latest pop-up installation in New York.
Staged at Cadillac House, the automotive brand’s open-ended project space in Soho, Cárdenas has collaborated with the performance-based artist Sahra Motalebi to create a graphic, Op-Art-inspired weave of spaces. As visitors meander through four separate rooms, each enveloped in hypnotic black and white patterns, colourfully-tinted windows or monochromatic shades of yellow, Motalebi’s discordant, vocals-only score plays overhead to hammer home each environment’s bewildering effect.
‘Raf and I had many discussions about the maze as a perfect theatrical, performative machine. It was important that each of the vocal pieces reflect a stop inside the exhibition’s journey, with a sound score that is compelling—perhaps scary and absurd, but also at once narrative and abstract,’ Motalebi adds. ‘I used a lot of digital processing within the composition, which exposes the visitor to every pitch possible in the female voice—the lowest sub-tonal lows, inhumanly high screams, sibilance.’
Peppered around the installation are traces of modern life, such as medicine bottles, cleaning equipment and other ubiquities, presented in off-kilter contexts. There’s even a stylish hall-of-mirrors, complete with elegant sconce lighting, that adds to the labyrinth’s warped feel.
‘The maze is, on the surface, a dazzling and photogenic array of spaces but, upon closer inspection and attention, is also a lens through which to consider contemporary modes of operation,’ says Cárdenas, of the installation. ‘In the age of GPS-ubiquity, it offers the ever-elusive opportunity of getting lost, while counterpointing a prime selfie canvas with a soundtrack of laughter and shrieking.’
The pop-up is located at Cadillac House, Visionaire’s open-ended project space in Soho. Photography: Plamen Petkov
Rafael de Cárdenas collaborated with performance-based artist Sahra Motalebi to create a graphic, Op-Art-inspired weave of spaces. Photography: Plamen Petkov
Four spaces are enveloped in hypnotic black and white patterns, colourfully-tinted windows or monochromatic shades of yellow. Photography: Plamen Petkov
Peppered around the installation are traces of modern life, such a medicine bottles, cleaning equipment and other ubiquities, presented in off-kilter contexts. Photography: Plamen Petkov
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Rafael de Cardenas / Architecture at Large website
-
Waiting room inspo: Inside Studioutte’s cinematic Sala D’Attesa at Milan Design WeekStudioutte’s Sala D’Attesa, staged in Nolo during Milan Design Week 2024, was a scenographic interior merging different design sensibilities
-
Bang & Olufsen’s Recreated Classics series continues with a CD player revivalBang & Olufsen’s Beosystem 9000c music system brings the original digital compact disc format back to life and pairs it with the latest in speaker design
-
A new book highlights the work of Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu‘Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu: Luxury Redefined’, published by Rizzoli, traces the career of leading Istanbul-based designer Zeynep Fadillioglu, the first woman to design a mosque in Turkey
-
Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
-
Ray Phoenix to rise in ArizonaRay Phoenix housing project launches, designed by Johnston Marklee, who worked with Lamar Johnson Collaborative, for property experts Ray and Vela
-
A low-energy farmhouse provides a rural escape in North CarolinaThis low-energy farmhouse is a net zero architectural re-set for a Californian client, an East Coast relocation for a more engaged and low-key lifestyle
-
A Petra Island house rises from Frank Lloyd Wright's original drawingsBased on Frank Lloyd Wright drawings, the cantilevering Petra Island Massaro House, located in New York’s Hudson Valley, is now open to visitors
-
An Upper West Side apartment by General Assembly nods to its historyAn Upper West Side apartment in New York, born out of the reimagining of two neighbouring units, is refreshed by General Assembly for a young family
-
New York's Leica store echoes the brand's blend of heritage and innovationLeica store throws open its doors in New York's Meatpacking District, courtesy of Brooklyn based Format Architecture Office
-
Hudson Valley Residence is a low-lying retreat that seamlessly blends into the horizonDesigned by HGX Design, Hudson Valley Residence is a scenic home offering unobstructed views across the Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly designBoise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
