Flux Exhibition and Installation

San Francisco, CCA Nave: 2009

Design: Kory Bieg, Andre Caradec, Andrew Kudless

Fabrication: Kory Bieg, Andre Caradec, CCA Flux Studio

Exhibition Curation: Andrew Kudless, Marc Fornes, Ila Berman

 

The Flux Installation explores the possibilities of parametric modeling and digital fabrication at California College of the Arts (CCA). Produced using CCA’s CNC router and advanced parametric modeling techniques, the structure undulates in plan and section producing a sense of expansion and contraction in the long nave space at CCA’s San Francisco campus. Through the use of parametric modeling and a series of custom designed scripts, the installation design can be quickly updated to address new design criteria. From the thickness of the ribs to the overall twisting form and perforated skins, the geometry is controlled through a complex set of relationships between its formal, performative, and fabrication constraints. Each component of the final design was rebuilt in grasshopper as a parametric model. This method allowed us to make real time adjustments to the form that would be automatically updated and ready for fabrication. We were constantly making changes to the design as the content of the show was finalized, sometimes only a few hours before the file was sent to the CNC mill.

The exhibition was divided into 8 categories and included work from over 30 offices. Each category contained four to eight projects that represent a particular design approach. The surface of the installation adjacent to each category of work is perforated using a technique related to one of the projects from that category.

The installation, which is over 100 feet long, was built in 2 weeks. Every section of the installation is unique and numbered in sequence, allowing the installation to be easily assembled and disassembled in less than 3 hours.

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