Windy Chien x LMNL Studio

It has been a dream to realize my work at architectural scale. My friends at LMNL Studio made that possible by recreating my domed art car as a 30-foot biennale pavilion in VR. Using this successful pre-visualization as a prototype, I’m ready to build the pavilion in real life.

The Why

LMNL Studio collaborated with artist Windy Chien to recreate two rope sculptures in a virtual gallery setting in order to visualize them at a grand scale. After working with her to build a physical art car for the SF MOMA's iconic 2022 Soap Box Derby, we re-imagined the knotted dome of the derby car as a 30-foot pavilion environment in a courtyard by the sea.

The outcome is successful on multiple levels: It stands up as an enchanting aesthetic virtual experience that captures the essence of tactile materiality; it's a powerful prototyping tool for Windy to validate how to physically build knotted architecture at scale; and it's a teaching tool for the wider public, showcasing the reasons materials- and craft-based fine artists and architects should be working in these technologies. 

Thanks to this exercise, Windy is now confident and inspired to build these works in large scale format and present them in global showcase settings.

The How

The LMNL team worked with Windy to study her finished works and the complex language of knots she uses to fabricate her designs. Next, the LMNL designer team recreated the body of knots from her wall pieces and art car in Rhinoceros and using parametric modeling in Grasshopper. Finally, we brought it into Unreal Engine to activate the immersive 3D space.