HYPER-

Jackson Thesis Studio Show

May 20-21, 2011

HYPER- was an installation and exhibition featuring the undergraduate thesis work of the 2010-2011 Jackson Studio. This show featured twenty thesis projects that each offered a unique critique of the architectural status quo in order to provide a new vision of architecture—the value of which lay not in their newness per se, but rather in their shared aspiration to make architecture more meaningful and relevant to the culture that sponsors it, and to thereby elevate the cultural status of the discipline. 

The format of the show presented these thesis projects in a manner that placed an emphasis on information and immersion, as well as playful and engaging audience interaction. Accordingly, the installation sought to transform the Berg Gallery into a hyper-saturated and hyper-interactive information space. Each student’s thesis project was presented as an interactive audio-visual presentation, and these 20 unique presentations were gathered together on two long rear-projection screens which flanked the central space of the gallery. There were 10 interactive viewing stations per side, and each station was equipped with its own wireless Wii remote and audio headset. Visitors to the show were able to use the wireless Wii remotes to explore these thesis projects in depth—panning, zooming, and clicking to reveal increasing layers of information. This ability of the user to control his or her experience of the work on display created a greater sense of engagement and participation in the work.