Publiccity

The first built project for publiccity. Intended as an architectural event, a teaching tool, and a marketing strategy.

The first location for the project was the ‘garage’. Used as a venue for per- formance art, music, film, and forum discussions. The building was formerly an automobile body shop in a heritage rich black section in downtown Charleston. The building itself is a shell consisting of con- crete block walls and timber roof.

To strengthen and further define the emerging arts center and the character of the community, the project
was to create a new entrance into the ‘garage’. The purpose was three fold: one, to create visible icons of the structures themselves; two, to heighten awareness of your physical surroundings; and three, to start a dialogue about the condition of public space in the Charleston peninsula today.

The individual boxes themselves were derived from spatial explorations: A, intended and noticed. B, unintended and noticed. C, unintended and unnoticed.

For installation the layout would become:
Box 1: ENTRY BOX Desensitizing / White / Glowing
Box 2: Type A Formal set-up / Refined / Hierarchical
Box 3: Type B Organic / Background
Box 4: Type C Indeterminate / event fields
Box 5: EXIT/FLASH BOX Reflection / Mirrored / Dark

Simple wood frame construction is the base for the installation. This allowed for var- ied aesthetics and textures to be realized in each individual box, which included glass, plexi-glass, cotton scrim, metal mesh, plywood, black plastic, gypsum board, and reinforcing bar.