Trahan Architects creates curving wooden balconies for Atlanta theatre

US firm Trahan Architects has renovated the Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, using steam-bent timber to form an undulating auditorium.

Constructed in 1968, the 650-seat Alliance Theater is part of the Woodruff Arts Center campus in the state capital of Georgia.

The 1960s theatre was gutted and refurbished

For the renovation, Trahan Architects stripped the interiors of the lobby, theatre and backstage areas back to the original concrete walls.

New York-based, steam-bent furniture designer Matthias Pliessnig collaborated on the design of the wooden elements, which were made by fabrication specialists CW Keller Associates.

Steam-bent timber curves around the seating. Photo by Trahan Architecture

Pliessnig created a 1:1 scale mock-up of the Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theater and shared his expertise in steam bending wood, a process that involves heating wood to make it pliable and bending it by hand.

"The result is a series of beautiful steam-bent millwork guardrails and balconies that merge handcraft with mass production," said Trahan Architects.

"The synthesis of acoustic performance, hand-driven artistry, and sophisticated laser positioning are all carefully choreographed to execute the complex steam-bent millwork without the need for wasteful CNC moulds."

All of the seating zones are connected in the theatre

The seating is now 10 feet (three metres) closer to the stage than before, and the seating of the stalls abuts the orchestra pit.

Seating stacked around and above the stalls in the balconies are defined by curving wooden elements but are not separated.

The architects said this design decision was a symbolic one to draw on Atlanta's history. The city was America's most racially segregated after 1865 when slaved were freed in the US, right up until the 1960s.

During this period, black people were barred from eating at certain restaurants or attending certain cinemas reserved for white patrons or were forced to sit in separate seating.

Trahan Architects worked with a sculptor on the wooden design

"The design team felt a responsibility to remove the separation between balcony and orchestra – challenging historic notions of segregation and discrimination," said Trahan Architects.

"All seating zones can be accessed from every entrance within the chamber."

Steam-bending timber created less waste than CNC cutting the wood

Based in New Orleans and New York, Trahan Architects was founded in 1992 by Trey Trahan. Previous work by the practice includes a visitor centre for an 18th-century plantation in Louisiana.

The Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theater is shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 in the civic and cultural interior category, along with a museum in Pittsburgh built in a ligtening-struck library and a museum of architecture models in China.

Photography is by Leonid Furmansky unless otherwise stated.

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Project credits:

Architect: Trahan Architects
Design team: Trey Trahan, Leigh Breslau, Brad McWhirter, Robbie Eleazer, James Babin, Scott Melançon, Conway Pedron, Ayesha Husain, Sarah Hussaini, Wenyun Qian, Andrew Fu
Artist collaboration: Matthias Pliessnig
Millwork fabrication: CW Keller Associates
Theatre consultants: Theatre Projects Consultants
Acoustics: Talaske Group
Structural engineer: Uzun + Case
MEP: DLB Associates Consulting Engineers
Lighting designer: Fisher Marantz Stone
Graphic design: Thirst
Life safety: Jensen Hughes
Project and cost management: Cost+ Plus Vertical
Transportation: Lerch Bates

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Miniature Figures Navigate Human-Sized Threats in Slinkachu’s Humorous Interventions

All images © Slinkachu, shared with permission

At first glance, Slinkachu’s scenes might appear to be a heap of multi-colored pills or a mess of children’s toys left behind on a London street corner. Closer inspection, however, reveals minuscule figures navigating human-sized items as if they occupy an alternate, miniature world occurring in sidewalk alcoves and planter boxes. Characters find themselves in a sea of medication that’s reminiscent of arcade ball pits, while others create a tower to fend off a nearby bee that’s triple each of their heights. Imbued with humor, the site-specific scenes often comment on contemporary social issues.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Slinkachu (previously) has shifted to creating works in his home to minimize exposure to passersby. Although many of his projects were canceled or postponed, the Natural History Museum commissioned both the mushroom and bee works shown below for its Urban Nature project, a biologically diverse green space in central London. “My work has always reflected the sense of isolation and loneliness that a big city can imbue, but the isolation of being inside is new to me,” he shares with Colossal. “These were recreations of small parts of city streets built in my living room with concrete paving slabs and weeds and moss.” The shift in venue has the British artist reconsidering parts of his practice:

It was a bit surreal recreating the outside world inside, but it has opened up new possibilities for me to create narrative images. By experimenting with mixing miniature sets and photographic backdrops, I’ve had many ideas about creating images that are not always possible to create outside on a real street without digital manipulation. It is different from my usual street work but a new avenue to explore.

Follow Slinkachu’s latest installations on Instagram, and pick up a puzzle or print of his miniature figures from Affenfaust Galerie.

 

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Andreu World, Ross Gardam and Object Carpet showcase products on Dezeen Showroom

Andreu World, Ross Gardamand Object Carpet are among the latest brands to launch products on Dezeen Showroom.

Brands including MOEBE, Eero Aarnio Originals and Geberit also presented products on the platform, which is an affordable space for brands to showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience.

Dezeen Showroom launched last week with seating and lighting products by leading designers and brands including Vitra, &tradition, Hem and Maruni.

Above: Storage Box by MOEBE. Top: Hula 46 by Benjamin Hubert for Andreu World

Danish studio MOEBE presented its Storage Box, a stackable wooden storage container that doubles as a small table when flipped on its side.

The studio aimed to create a multi-functional and practical storage solution that can easily fit into homes where space is limited.

Hula 46 by Benjamin Hubert for Andreu World

Furniture brand Andreu World presented its Hula 46 bar stool by British industrial designer Benjamin Hubert, which features a circular footrest made from aluminium that has been coloured to complement the upholstery.

The stool comes in 10 colours, including rust red, terracotta, dark grey, sand, basalt and camel.

Sigma80 touchless actuator plate by Geberit

Swiss bathroom brand Geberit showcased its Sigma80 touchless actuator plate, which uses infrared sensors to allow users to flush the toilet without touching the plate.

The lights on the panel come in five different colours and users can select if the two LED light fields are lit continuously or only when the toilet is in use.

The Kisu cat ornament by Eero Aarnio

Finnish designer Eero Aarnio has added a minimal cat ornament called Kisu, a Finnish word that translates into English as "kitty", to the Eero Aarnio Originals collection.

Made from polyethylene, the ornament is intended for both outdoor and indoor use. Kisu is available in white and black. The latter is made entirely from defect materials from the brand's own factory.

Arbour linear light by Ross Gardam

Australian furniture and lighting designer Ross Gardam presented his Arbour linear light, which is manufactured in Melbourne by local craftsmen.

Each pendant lamp is composed of over two-metre-long pieces of solid walnut, maple or oak hardwood.

Flow x Glow carpet by Ippolito Fleitz Group for Object Carpet

Flooring brand Object Carpet showcased three collections of carpets designed in collaboration with Stuttgart design studio Ippolito Fleitz Group.

Available in 13 colours, Flow x Glow is a multifaceted loop carpet that has been designed to be used as a wall-to-wall carpet or rug for use in hotels, homes, offices and shops.

Meet x Beat carpet by Ippolito Fleitz Group for Object Carpet

The Meet x Beat carpet has a natural finish and features an irregular pattern of multiple coloured threads. Similar to the rest of the collection, the carpet is available as sheet material, acoustic tiles or fitted carpets.

Deal x Feel is intended for use in various locations including hotels, offices, public buildings and retail outlets. The carpet is made from 100-per-cent-recycled thread and is available in 13 pastel tones.

Deal x Feel carpet by Ippolito Fleitz Group for Object Carpet

The products launched at Dezeen Showroom this week will be joined by a host of other furniture, lighting, finishes and flooring over the coming weeks.

Upcoming brands include ON&ON, Muuto, Flexform and Miniforms.

About Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience.

As well as benefiting from exposure to Dezeen's three million monthly website visitors, products featured on Dezeen Showroom will be included in our daily newsletter sent to 170,000 subscribers and benefit from Dezeen's incredible SEO.

Dezeen has the highest SEO ranking of any design website with a domain authority of 87, according to SEO analytics service Moz, meaning products listed on Dezeen Showroom are more likely to be found by searchers, while links from Dezeen Showroom to your site will be more valuable than from any other design site.

Posts will remain on the Showroom section indefinitely and will not incur renewal fees once the initial payment has been made for the listing.

For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

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Immersive Yourself in the ‘Bob Ross Experience,’ a Permanent Exhibit Dedicated to the Beloved Painter

Bob Ross on the set of The Joy of Painting. All images © Minnetrista, shared with permission

In the small city of Muncie, Indiana stands a three-story house with white columns lining the front stoop. Now unassuming, the brick structure formerly featured a sign at its entrance reading “WIPB TV,” denoting the camera crew inside recording beloved icon Bob Ross, who filmed more than 400 episodes of The Joy of Painting in the space from 1983 to 1994. Today, the house has been transformed to honor the legacy of the PBS artist, whose joyful manner and positivity inspired his devoted fans for more than a decade.

Formally called the Bob Ross Experience, the $1.2 million permanent exhibit and masterclass series pays homage to the painter by recreating the set where his soothing voice echoed instructions on blending pinks and blues for a sky or adding highlights. A rotating selection of his original paintings, like “Gray Mountain” and “Sunset Aglow,” line the home, which also features a 1980s-style living room complete with a plaid lounger. His personal items, including keys and hair pick, are on display, along with memorabilia celebrating Ross. Other than the artist’s palette knife, easel, and brushes, many of the artifacts are free to touch.

 

The studio

Opened in October, the museum is housed at the Lucius L. Ball House on the Minnetrista campus, a year-round gathering place with historic buildings, children’s entertainment, and workshops. About a half-mile up the street, the interactive exhibit continues in a building where “Certified Ross Instructors” teach masterclasses a few times each month. Participants are encouraged to embrace “happy little accidents,” just as Ross advocated in his episodes—many of which are available to watch on YouTube—as they paint serene landscapes, sunsets, and wildlife.

In the coming months, Minnetrista organizers plan to convert the upper levels of the house into gallery and studio space, according to The New York Times. To follow updates on the renovations or book your own Bob Ross Experience, visit the organization’s site.

 

Ross’s brushes

The Lucius L. Ball House, where Ross filmed The Joy of Painting

The entrance to the museum

The living room of the Bob Ross Experience

Artifacts on display in the museum

A Certified Ross Instructor teaches a masterclass

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Kriskadecor's aluminium chain-links create sculptural ceiling solutions

Dezeen promotion: Spanish brand Kriskadecor creates aluminium chain-links in a wide range of colours that can be used to design anything from simple geometric patterns to sculpture-like ceiling decorations.

The metal chain-link manufacturer creates fully customised solutions for shops, hotels, restaurants, shopping centres and offices globally, with a focus on original products with contemporary designs that stand the test of time.

A Kriskadecor ceiling solution at the Sorli Emocions shopping centre. Photo is by Marcela Grassi

Kriskadecor's 24-colour palette means it can create a wide variety of designs and even recreate an image in high definition on the chain links. The translucency of the chain-links add to their decorative possibilities, as it lets users play with light and shadow.

Its chains can also be used to design sculptural three-dimensional structures for ceilings, such as Kriskadecor's Falls option, which is designed by Yonoh Studio.

Intersecting tubes create playful shapes in the Falls design by Yonoh Studio

The Falls design consists of a combination of intersecting tubes in different lengths, which the client can adapt to create a customised design based on the colours, quantity, height, and distance between the falls.

The client can also add one light source per tube to create a "subtle halo" of light around the strands.

Colourful ceiling decoration at the Novotel Dijon Route des Grands Crus. Photo is by Pavlos Efthimiou

Designs from Kriskadecor have been used to personalise the ceilings of a number of global projects, including the Novotel Dijon Route des Grands Crus in Burgundy, France, and the lobby of the Westquay Watermark Shopping Centre in the UK.

For the Novotel Dijon ceiling, Design Studio created an organic composition comprised of 30 pieces, each 40 centimetres high and curved.

Hues informed by the land and ocean at the Westquay Southampton. Photo is by Ben Luxmoore

While for the Westquay Watermark Shopping Centre, designer Michelle Taylor used 800 square metres of aluminium chain to create undulating shapes that decorate the space.

As the brand explained, the colours – gold, green, lime and black – were chosen to reference "the mark left by the coast in Southampton's port," as well as to emulate the northern lights.

The rails for this project were custom-curved in order to create fluid structures.

Apricot-coloured chains decorate Karavaevi Cafe. Photo is by Denis Vasiliev

At the industrial-style Karavevi Cafe in Moscow, Russia, designer Marina Bagrova added several apricot-coloured volumes that hang over the tables.

"These wavy chain veils also function as points of light, reducing the distance between the ceiling and the tables and creating an intimate space for the client to feel comfortable," Kriskadecor explained.

A wider range of similar hues was used for Kriskadecor's chain-links at the Braschi Dubai store in the United Arab Emirates.

The local heritage is referenced in the ceiling sculpture designed by Studio Associato at Braschi Dubai

Several layers of curved design come in tones of orange, sand, apricot, brown, gold and orange in brilliant and satin finishes that suit the local culture and the heritage of the store.

Kriskadecor was founded in Spain in 1926. Its designs can be used as space dividers, as well as for wall coverings, ceilings, facades, as lighting elements and for many other special structures.

For more information on its chain-link design solutions for ceilings, visit the company's website.

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