PROJECT STATEMENT

“LOOMROOM seeks to activate the alleyway by weaving light, color, and energy into a set of suggested spaces for action and interaction. Taking form as a huge spatial loom, the project is comprised of a network of cables that suspend steel frames with colorful paracord interlaced throughout to create woven basketlike forms. Colorful vinyl strips and paint wrap the walls and street below, continuing the linework established by the grids above. The “baskets” are open at the top and bottom, encouraging visitors to view the sky through these multi-colored portals while also emphasizing the verticality unique to alleyways as in-between spaces. Three larger “baskets” create small urban rooms that can be used for public gatherings while still providing visual connectivity. Through the varied densities of multi-colored cord, colors appear both individually and blended while filtering light and projecting shadows, allowing for multiple readings and shifting perceptions in the alleyway.” – Van Dyck Murphy Studio

ABOUT VAN DYCK MURPHY STUDIO

Van Dyck Murphy Studio is the multidisciplinary architecture and design collaborative of Kelley Van Dyck Murphy and Jonathan Murphy, based in St. Louis, Missouri. The practice engages in built and speculative projects at the scales of objects, installations, and environments, focusing on work that explores materiality, craft, and experiential narratives. In 2019, Van Dyck Murphy studio was among the winning designers for the national public art competition, INSITE 2020, which will result in a ceramic 3d printed masonry screen wall. Recent work has been exhibited in the Des Lee, the Sheldon, and the Farrell Learning Center. Kelley and Jonathan received their Master of Architecture degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, where Kelley is currently an Assistant Professor of Architecture.