reamscapes press release, statements and bios

march 8th to april 2nd, 2010 reception march 12th 6-10PM the chicago arts district 18th and halsted st contact: jeremy@jeremyehly.com

reamscapes 6 designers + 500 sheets of paper + oo creativity

for immediate release: What will become of paper? With the advent of the iPad the proverbial death knell has been rung, many hailing the iPad as the final nail in the coffin for printed media. To hail the coming of the end and to tribute the official launching of the iPad, March will be the month when paper makes its triumphant last stand in the heart of the Chicago Arts District taking up a month long residence in the showPODs. Six carefully selected teams of up-and-coming designers from the Chicago area working in the field of architecture have been invited to take a ream of standard copy paper and render the banality of 500 sheets of paper into a throught provoking and arresting temporary installation. Participants include Chicago’s Brandon Horn, Team Fold 500, Jeremy Ehly, Pei-San Ng, Thomas Kelley and w| c studio.

The showPODs are 7 dynamic installation spaces located along the Halsted Street corridor between 18th and 19th St in the Chicago Arts District. The showPODs host temporary installations curated on a monthly basis in a format that makes the work viewable 24/7/365. Previous installations include work by the Chicago Urban Arts Society and other local artists. Upcoming installations include BIKE in April curated by Bikeith Recyclery. Reception on March 12th coincides with the Chicago Arts Districts monthly 2nd Fridays event.

Generous support for this project is provided by the Chicago Arts District and Podmajersky.

For more information, or high resolution imagery please contact:: Jeremy Ehly jeremy@jeremyehly.com 312.929.7224

hosts:

fold500 this is not a plane project statement: “This is not a plane” embraces the symbiotic relationship between the digital and the physical. The construct expresses one of the most primitive notions of the physical --the fold. Through the repetitive transformation of 500 sheets of paper into paper airplanes, one large gestural fold creates a spatial condition where the inherent dichotomy of the physical and digital interface.

In this installation, paper embodies, among other things, the physical manifestation of digital design, the uniqueness of the instance, and the joy of spontaneous human creativity through a physical reaction with the content -- scribble, tear, crumple. Fold.

team bio: Fold 500 is made up of Carlo Parente, David LeFevre, Jessica Hogue, Luis Palacio and Nathan Bowman --5 architects working together in the office of AS+GG who share a passion for digital technology, physical media, paper airplanes and bloody marys.

thomaskelley + SIZE project statement: “+”. As one of the most overused icons in contemporary design, the definition of “+” rests in its ability to suggest more. More of what you might ask? More of the same, more difference, more variety, more whatever. Through the medium of paper, + SIZE aims to over articulate the icon to the point of absurdity, with no intention of identifying any referents. To do so would only neutralize its latent presence as simply an icon for icon’s sake and in turn detract from its figural potency. Instead, as a study in aggregation the composition is meant to celebrate the icon at a variety of scales. One sheet of paper, one icon. Five hundred sheets of paper, infinite icons.

bio: Thomas Kelley grew up in Canberra, Berlin, Warsaw, Tegucigalpa, Oxford, and Lima.

He received his Bachelors of Science from the University of Virginia and his Masters of Architecture from Princeton University. Previously, Thomas worked in Charlottesville, Virginia for Future-Cities-Lab and São Paulo for Brasil Arquitetura Studio. Since then he has worked for Asymptote Architecture in New York. Thomas is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. website | www.thomaskelley.us email | info@thomaskelley.us

brandonhorn fat flat project statement: The flatness of an elevation can often mask the variation and heterogeneity that is found beyond. In this project, flatness heightens the legibility of subtle differences produced by light and its changing interaction with the paper’s surfaces. Throughout the day, the project is redefined through shifting luminosity and shadows. At night, the project is backlit to expose a new set of variations. The figure is composed of three tubes of different lengths. In front, their orientation to the light source determines their luminosity. In back, their varying lengths diffuse light accordingly, producing different translucencies.

With each change, new figures appear on the elevation altering the reading of the original.

bio: Brandon Horn is an assistant professor at Illinois Institute of Technology. He graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Science in Design and went on to receive a Master of Architecture from Princeton University. His work has been shown at the 2006 Shenzhen Biennale and in 2007 his thesis was published in Princeton’s School of Architecture Booklet. He has previously worked with Min|Day, WW Architecture and Garofalo Architects.

Brandon’s projects explore the relationship between generic architecture, organization and surface. His graduate thesis – a live/work tower – proposed a programmatic reorganization of the mixed use building via the multiplication and thickening of the ubiquitous curtain wall. Subsequent projects have continued to focus on vertical surfaces and their power to organize and perform. If architectural envelope often tends toward appliqué, his projects are explorations based on a counter hypothesis: envelope can be both the beginning of design and the instrument of architectural performance.

collaborators: Chris Kleehammer, William Ernst, Malik Ajose and Danny Mui

jeremyehly a copy ? project statement: A copy is never as bad as the original. Paper has always been used as a medium for conveying information and this project asks the paper to capture a moment in time and to express the inherent qualities of non-digital reproduction. 14 photocopiers from Chicago’s Public Libraries, Institutions of Higher Learning and Kinkos were orchestrated to create this installation. Each machine was fed a single original print and was then left alone to copy its own copies at length. In the process of this mechanical repetition the signature of the machines became more and more apparent with each producing a unique take on the original document.

bio: Jeremy Ehly is an and architectural designer, photographer and installation artist. Jeremy recently returned from Rotterdam, where he worked on several architectural competitions and large scale urban developments with the Dutch Architectural ďŹ rm MVRDV. Jeremy is currently working as a freelance architectural designer as well as designer and project manager for Podmajersky and the Chicago Arts District. His current architectural projects include a few large scale renovation projects and several small scale interventions.

Before receiving his Masters of Architecture from IIT in 2007, Jeremy earned a degree in Biochemistry from Whitman College and worked as a neuro-scientist and cancer researcher for four years. As a student at IIT, Jeremy received various honors including the Nagle-Hartray Scholarship and 2nd prize in the Architects OfďŹ ce of the Future Competition. Jeremy was also a Graduate Teaching Assistant at IIT and currently serves as a visiting critic and guest lecturer at the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. website | www.jeremyehly.com email | jeremy@jeremyehly.com

peisanng asterisk * project statement: *Utilized Performance Enhancing Drug

bio: Pei-San Ng is an architectural designer / multimedia artist. Her choices of media are web, video, photography, and illustration, among others. Her most recent work is the Burn Series on display next door at Chicago Art Department (CAD). While actively involved in CAD, Pei’s art and architectural research have been in solo and group shows and exhibited in Chicago galleries such as the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Born in Taiwan and raised in Los Angeles, she holds a BA in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology from UCLA, an AA in Interior Design from Harrington College and a Masters of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

While at UIC, Pei won numerous awards ranging from the Faculty Choice Portfolio Award to the Carol Phelan Fellowship and the KY Cheung Graduation Award.

Presently working as a freelancer in web design and video editing, she enjoys making art that is functional, architectural, evocative, and tells a personal story.

w|cstudio pinch, punch, poke project statement: A series of three actions was utilized to coax out the maximum volume and visual efficacy of one ream of paper. Each of the 500 sheets was pinched, punched, and poked to transform a standard office supply unit into a voluptuous “reamscape” filling the storefront at 1841 S. Halsted. Although this procedure may sound uncomfortable (especially if you are a piece of paper), each sheet adapted to its new shape graciously, eager to nestle its gentle curve against a neighbor and join in thelight/shadow drama of the construct as a whole.

bio: w|c studio is an experimental design collective currently working across the disciplines of architecture, graphic design, publishing, and development. Be it object, information, or spatial, the focus is on approaching every design challenge with the intent to develop systemic networks, generate moods and sensations, respond to current market factors, and acknowledge its global impact.

Cady Chintis is a researcher and architectural designer. As a recipient of the 2008 AIA Martin Roche Travel Scholarship, she spent four weeks in Germany’s Ruhrgebiet documenting architectural and landscape design strategies that have driven the region’s incredible post-industrial comeback.

Cady completed a Masters of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan. Recognition of her academic work includes the Pella Fellowship Prize for Best in Show (UIC, 2008), the Faculty Choice and Student Choice Portfolio Awards (UIC, 2008), and nominations for the Schiff Foundation Fellowship (Chicago, 2008) and for student exhibitions at both universities she attended (UIC, 2008 and 2007/UM, 2004 and 2003). Cady believes in cultivating a rich design practice informed by research and intuition and continues to work on publications.

John Wolters is a project developer and architectural designer. In 2004, as a member of Seattle Build, a group of designers in support of architect-led building projects, John established his own design-build firm, Surface. In his first residential project he reconfigured the single family home to incorporate a live-work unit to offset costs and promote artist workspace. In January 2008, John joined Studio Gang Architects in Chicago and was part of a design team building a Film and Media College. Prior to this, John worked with Erick Van Egeraat Architects in Rotterdam.

John earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago where his work received considerable recognition including the AIA Henry Adams Certificate of Merit (UIC 2007), the Pella Prize for Design Excellence (UIC 2006 and UIC 2007), the Alumni Choice Award for portfolio design (UIC 2007) and was a finalist in the Schiff Foundation Fellowship (SAIC 2007). John continues to pursue competitions and research opportunities associated with reclamation and urban re-design while gaining valuable experience in Chicago’s multi-faceted design environment.

collaborator: Elizabeth Hoffman Ransford