out of frame: IAP Workshop, and January + February Posts
out of frame is a student-edited platform supported by MIT Architecture. To learn more, read a letter from the editor.
IAP Workshop
Over January, out of frame hosted a workshop with the aim of responding to and thinking together through writing. The workshop invited guests from both within and outside MIT to engage in conversations about writing experience and approach. Topics discussed often included collaborative writing, creative process, audience, voice, and personal storytelling. Through a series of exercises, assignments and discussions, participants developed their interests and investigated the value of writing for personal and academic growth. In addition to producing their own work, participants were asked to engage with one another’s work in a generous and curious way. Conversations that developed around these responses were one of the most valuable aspects of the workshop, as it provided a space for the discovery of unique perspectives and ideas.
Student participants: Meriam Soltan, Ana Arenas, Lasse Rau, Amanda Ugorji, Robert P. Weinberg, Felix Li, Laura Kim, James Brice
A special thanks to our class guests and guides: Rosalyne Shieh, Nicholas de Moncheaux + Jessica Varner, Eli Keller + Kelly Main, and Migien Mocke.
January + February posts
From Home to Housing: home for things
“Home is where you hang your hat.” Ana Arenas (M.Arch 2022) examines the concept of home through our storage spaces, and how the uses of these spaces impact our lives. This post is a part of “From Home to Housing,” a column that explores the themes around housing and notions of home through personal thoughts, stories, realities, and dreams.
Published on February 27.
On: Beyond an Exercise
Eva Knaggs (B.A. Architecture 2023, Wellesley) discusses the artistic processes of blind contour drawing, as “a pressure-free way to document and make sense of an absurd world.” This post is a part of “On,” a column that explores objects and ephemera.
Published on February 24.
In the Frame: Can the Artist Speak?
Delanie Linden (HTC PhD) contemplates the process of constructing an oil painting through the composition of shadows. This was the first piece for “In the Frame,” a curator column that reflects on the conditions of making, the contingencies of materials, and the artist’s and beholder’s sensorial experience through the compilation of images of objects, peoples, and architecture. Each post is united by a common theme, project or motif.
Published on February 19.
Rites of Passage: On ice
Lasse Rau (SMArchS A+U 2022) writes about the trans-scalar qualities of ice on the eve of a winter storm -- making connections from a slippery winter sidewalk to planetary meteorological movements. This piece is the first of the column “Rites of Passage” -- a loose gathering of thoughts on environments, materials, and landscapes and their passing in time. It is a travelogue between natural and artificial, pasts and futures, realities and speculations.
Published on February 17.
WIP-ish: Hanghar : WhatsApp Architecture
Marianna Gonzalez-Cervantes (SMArchSAD 2021) discusses Hanghar, an architecture practice led by Eduardo Mediero. Only two years out of architecture school, Hanghar already boasts a short (but entirely impressive) list of built work throughout Spain. Interior renovation projects provide Hanghar with exciting opportunities to experiment with materials and material assemblies. But they are not without their own obstacles, many of which Hanghar solves over WhatsApp. This piece is a part of “WIP-ish,” a series that explores the processes of making architecture that are taken up by emerging designers.
Published on February 17.
Material Future: Design for Repurposing
Carolyn Tam (M.Arch 2022) introduces Finite, a collaborative project which developed a reusable composite material made of desert sand with the same compression strength as brick and residential concrete. This piece is a part of “Material Future,” a series that investigates the potentials of emerging material technologies in architecture and design.
Published on January 29.
(Un)branded Urbanism: Mind the Plants
Laura Kim (MCP 2021) explores the role of branding in urbanism efforts through the example of a curbside plant. This piece is a part of “(Un)branded Urbanism,” which looks at urbanism with a marketing lens, exploring the branded and unbranded details of everyday life to advocate for consumers of urban space.
Published on January 20.