Ann Lui and Craig Reschke aim to bring a night light of sorts to Columbus — and a bit more simple, overnight options for relaxation beyond 24-hour restaurants.
The architectural duo from Chicago’s Future Firm will be among those highlighting innovative creations during design presentations slated today and March 26 on Zoom for the 2021 Exhibit Columbus exhibition. The downtown Hotel Indigo is the presenting sponsor.
The free, outdoor exhibition opening Aug. 21 with 13 temporary structures built near the city’s Modernist gems is meant to highlight Columbus’ design legacy while giving it a fresh voice for today and continued significance for the future. The theme is “New Middles: From Main Street to Megalopolis — What is the Future of the Middle City?”
The first biennial exhibition in 2017 attracted an estimated 40,000 people in person, plus thousands more online all over the world with major media attention in such far-flung locals as London. About 30,000 people attended the 2019 exhibition.
The design highlights to be presented today and March 26 include the centerpiece Miller Prize winners, University Design Research Fellows, and the High School Design Team.
Lui and Reschke’s first aim will be the third-shift crowd with their entry for the former Sears building plaza downtown, formerly a part of architect’s Cesar Pelli’s 1970s Commons Mall. The duo are among five Miller Prize winners winners.
Each of the Miller Prize teams receives $70,000 to plan and build their idea. The exhibition extends through Nov. 28. Organizers and designers agreed only to hint beforehand at the designs to be unveiled within the next week in order to keep an element of surprise.
“We’ve been thinking of (overnight) lately as the secret life of cities,” Lui said by phone from her office. “This really stood out to us about Columbus.”
Lui and Reschke know quite well their topic of shining a light in the darkness and building for “we the people’s” wee hours. In Chicago, they designed Night Gallery, a nocturnal exhibition space open from sunset to sunrise, during the warmer half of the year. The space is a separate business, Principle Barbers, by day.
Though the 2019 exhibition featured something of an accidental plant-and-nature-linked theme among builders, Exhibit Columbus Director Anne Surak said this year is different.
“Each of the projects is pretty distinct (this time),” Surak said.
Los Angeles-based architectural critic and author/editor Mimi Zeiger, the exhibition co-curator with Chicago architect Iker Gil, concurred.
“There are really no two alike,” Zeiger said.
She added that some of the designs hearken to the city’s architectural past — and sees that as a legitimate element of celebration with the community’s heritage.
“There may be (architectural) moments through the years that perhaps some in Columbus have forgotten,” Zeiger said. “ … And one of the things that Iker and I and the whole Exhibit Columbus team want to do with this project is to encourage people to think about many different futures. And we want people to see that we have many different futures going forward.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About today’s presentations” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
What: Detailing virtual design presentations for some of the 13 temporary architectural exhibits for the 2021 Exhibit Columbus exhibition opening Aug. 21.
When: 10 a.m. to noon today; and 2 to 4 p.m. today. Same times also for March 26 presentations.
Where: Online via Zoom. Registration required at exhibitcolumbus.org/2021-design-presentations
Information: exhibitcolumbus.org
[sc:pullout-text-end]
