Wallpaper might be strictly ornamental for some, but for Jonathan Louie of Architecture Office it can influence one’s perception of space. 'There was a whole issue of House Beautiful magazine dedicated to wallpaper,' recalls Louie of the edition, which was subtitled 'Wonderful Ways of Wallpaper'. 'Reading through it, the magazine suggested wallpaper wasn’t just about what you put on the walls, but on all the surfaces of the room to visually thicken [them].'
Struck by the notion of wallpaper as an optical modifier, Louie produced a new exhibition, 'Big Will and Friends', now on view at the Rodger Mack Gallery at Syracuse University.
Their collaboration resulted in a compact, 7 sq ft shotgun house featuring rooms created from a patterned scrim stretched over PVC; a smaller, mirrored model set within the house; and a collage of architectural drawings set one on top of the other, created by Stephen Zaima, a professor at Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. Dancers wearing similarly patterned clothing also moved throughout the space, performing choreography by Stephanie White and adding another layer of perceptual change while remaining within the wallpaper's static framework.
Viewed in tandem with the performance, the installation demonstrates just how malleable space is. Standing at the centre of the main structure, visitors experience a kind of flattening perspective effect as they view the almost-opaque patterns through multiple layers of scrim. 'Big Will and Friends' is fluid, changing as the light interacts with the pattern differently throughout the day. 'Interior design usually connotes adornment,' says Louie, 'but what this suggests is that it can actually be a kind of architecture.'
Titled 'Big Will and Friends', the collaboration includes in a compact shotgun house featuring rooms created from a patterned scrim stretched over PVC...
... and a smaller, mirrored model set within the house, as well as a collage of architectural drawings
Dancers wearing similarly patterned clothing moved throughout the space
Viewed in tandem with the performance, the installation demonstrates just how malleable space is; visitors experience a kind of flattening perspective effect as they view the almost-opaque patterns through layers of scrim
INFORMATION
’Big Will and Friends’ is on view until 12 February. For more information, visit Syracuse University’s website
Photography: Ioana Georgeta Turcan
ADDRESS
Rodger Mack Gallery
Syracuse University
Crouse Drive
Syracuse
NY 13210
-
Vestre’s neo-brutalist furniture will bring ‘a little madness’ to Paris Fashion WeekBound for Paris Men’s Fashion Week this month, Norwegian furniture brand Vestre reveals a sculptural bench and mirror created with designer Vincent Laine and fashion creative Willy Cartier – the latest outcome of its risk-taking ‘a little madness’ initiative
-
For its latest runway show, Zegna creates a serene oasis in DubaiThe Italian fashion house took over the Dubai Opera for a S/S 2026 show that proposed a lived-in elegance, drawing inspiration from Dubai’s sunbaked landscapes and Zegna’s birthplace of Trivero
-
Time-travel to the golden age of the cruise ship at Sea Containers LondonThe South Bank hotel celebrates its tenth anniversary with four new suites inspired by period cabin design, from Edwardian elegance to 1980s glamour
-
Why are so many rooms covered in curtains?Comfort, privacy, and performance are all contained in the rooms swaddled in plush draperies
-
This Manhattan apartment and studio is a shrine to artThis New York artist's home is both comfortable and flexible, acting as a studio and a showcase for his work and collected pieces. We take a tour for our interiors series, The Inside Story
-
Life’s a beach at this tropical-glam Miami developmentFive Park Miami Beach mixes streamlined glamour with vibrant colour, and is the focus of Wallpaper’s interiors series, The Inside Story, as the Floridian city holds its annual Grand Prix
-
A Frank Lloyd Wright lamp broke auction record at Sotheby’s – fetching $7.5 millionThe architect's ‘Double-Pedestal’ lamp, which was designed for the Dana House in 1903, has become his most valuable work ever offered at auction
-
Step inside this Upper East Side jewel box apartmentThis radiant Lexington Avenue home is a harbinger of good things for the Upper East Side, and the latest focus of The Inside Story, our series spotlighting intriguing and innovative interior design
-
This Colorado ski chalet combines Rocky Mountains warmth with European design nousWood and stone meet artisanal and antique pieces in this high-spec, high-design mountain retreat
-
Swiss utilitarianism meets West Africa in this Armando Cabral and USM furniture collaborationA centuries-old West African motif signifying movement, adaptability, and progress served as the starting point for this collaboration between New York-based designer Armando Cabral and Swiss furniture brand USM
-
Hilltop hideaway: Colony creates tranquil interiors for a Catskills retreatPerched between two mountain ranges, this Catskills retreat marries bold, angular architecture with interiors that offer warmth and texture
