Artistry

During the design phase for the Alliance Theatre Transformation, Trahan embarked on an artistic collaboration with renowned sculptor Matthias Pliessnig. This process elevated the shaping and tectonics of the chamber and lobby. The steam bending process perfected by Matthias allowed the architect to combine the precise digital modeling required by the acoustician, with the craftsmanship and beauty of the design vision. This collaborative process produced acoustically tuned forms that amplifies the artistry performed on the stage.

Throughout his career, DeMoss’s work has echoed his early affinity for the Classical aesthetic. Often using the fragmented form, DeMoss’ subject matter ranges from the figure to Biblical allegory, from abstract to narrative. For St. Jean Vianney Church, DeMoss created bronze elements that are highly personal and site specific. The doors that grace the entry way are created from objects parishioners pressed into the form work on site. As the doors age they have become a living time capsule marking the spiritual threshold.

Inspired by Genta Ishizuka, an artist based in Kyoto, our studio investigated what it would be like to embed a Genta sculpture in concrete. We asked ourselves, what is Genta without the Genta? Genta’s sculptures are smooth and shiny, but the inverse would be rough and raw. By first filling a mould with balloons of varying size and then pouring concrete on top, the studio created these spatial collision models. The intersecting voids prompted the massing and connectivity in The Chapel of St. Ignatius and the Gayle and Tom Benson Jesuit Center.