chinoiserie
A garden of constructed realities
Chinoiserie explores the design of a contemporary Chinese Garden in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) courtyard in New York City. The project concerns the hybridization of eastern and western philosophies of nature and aesthetics. It draws inspiration from the traditional Chinese handscrolls as well as from the work of western modernist artists exhibited in MOMA. Particular emphasis is placed on the concept of “borrowed views,” which is prominent in the traditional Chinese garden. Through a series of iterative models and analogue collages, the formal language of the project and its spatial relationships emerged. The design proposal creates an illusion of limitless extent, similar to that of the traditional handscrolls, drawing the visitors through the spaces that unfold gradually before them.
Academic Project / University of Pennsylvania / LARP 701 studio / instructors: Valerio Morabito & Richard Weller