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SEAN COTTENGIM SELECTED WORK
The following work samples in design, education, and research represent an array of digressions; each appealing in their own particular way. Though my work doesn’t focus specifically on type, there is a fundamental core interest in making and representation; the essential ingredients of a story. How does a design come to be (making) and what final form does it take (representation)? This total package is the story of the project. Sometimes these stories are inwardly focused, such as process. Other times they are outwardly focused, such as the concept or theme of a project. The selection contained here depicts an array of diversions, sometimes a one-off and other times building on a consistent trajectory. But in all cases there is the thread of the image, the spectacle and the story each has to tell.
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blankspace fairy tales competition III
TOLL
Author & co-illustrator
w/ Alex Gormley 2016 honorable mention & publication The BlankSpace Fairy Tales competition invites designers to tell a story. Using the format of a fairy tale with five images and limited text, storytellers from around the world communicate architectural ideas. Our story, titled TOLL, is a coming-of-age tale of a humble tollbooth. It recieved an honorable mention; a top 15 honor out of more than 1500 entries.
blankspace fairy tales competition IV
The Ruins of Limestone Oaks Author & Illustrator 2017
This entry to the Fairy Tales competition explores history, imagination, and discovery as an explorer returns to Earth in search of his ancestral home - and things are not as expected.
m a k e i t a b o at ! ink and collage on foamcore 48x32 2008
Leading up to the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale, this research studio focused on the role alternate media and experimentation could play in architecture. Beginning with film research, and culminating in a proposal for the Corderie, I began to focus on the responsibilities (or lack thereof) representation played in provoking ideas. My proposal was to save the dying city of Venice by subjugate it’s foundations with floatation devices - turning the city into a floating tourist attraction. Thus allowing Venice to be saved by the very forces that were killing it. The absurdist proposal took the form of large scale drawings - highlighting the allowances given to the depiction of an idea in opposition to the validity of executing such an idea.
YO U N G AR C H ITE C TS C OM P ETITIO N
c r e va l c o r e , i ta ly What is the role of architecture in a world of entropy? Our built environment decays; our cultural traditions decay. In this world, architecture is neither the physical object of stone upon stone, nor the spatial voids formed by the stacking of stone upon stone; it is the armature of the in-between and the framework of a yet unanswered question of history. In this context, what position can hold up to the paradoxical relationship of old, new and the process of decay? Extending from this thought, how might the architectural interventions of the urban landscape – a theater of the new – be reduced? Un Teatro del Nuovo attempts such a reduction, utilizing the
simplest of architectural tools – the line – made manifest in one of the most banal architectural systems – the scaffolding. Could the rich history of Italy be summed up in a singular reading? Why should it be? From the line, a vast number of moments might emerge: the Cyclorama, the Shakespearean – Romeo and Juliet Tower, the Marionette, the Opera, the Cinema, the Divine Comedy, the Basilica. These archetypal projections become spatial experience. The simplicity of the line moves throughout the city, reinforcing the degradation of the existing without masking it. History is placed on display – a performance – reactivated through a re-invigoration of the layers of the urban landscape: above, within and below.
313 berry street
At the heart of this project was the very question of representation’s role in the making of architecture. A project that explored the disconnect between imagining work, doing work, and reporting that work, 313 Berry street was a guinea pig for asking those questions. What does it mean to do something in real space? Does the process of drawing ideas (the tools and techniques involved) have an analog in the creation of those ideas, and vice versa? And if not, what influence do they bear on one another? This thesis question bore out in the creation of three sets of artifacts: preliminary or imagined work, physical, three-dimensional manipulation, and documented reporting of this process.
Deployment 02 mixed media on plywood 18x24 2008
Deployment 01 mixed media on plywood 30x20 2008 Sectional Study mixed media on drywall 28x20 2009
Joint Study mixed media on mdf 18x24 2009
Site Canvassing photographic research various 2009
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{ villa proiectura }
Act I The permutations were endless. Perusing them was exciting at first but was now becoming a bit tiresome. How would She ever choose, She thought? There were further considerations, of course. The designers talked about double-skin this, and acute-angle-low-throw that, with a dash of photovoltaic etching thrown in. This chatter was a bit too techy for Her tastes, but She well understood its implications. When everything was everything then it was nothing too. She decided the projections were the projections – let them do what they do. She would instead choose based on space alone; on layout. A variety of spaces: small, large, naturally lit, or completely isolated. The raumplan and the plan libre, a smorgasbord of space.
Act II Naturally She thought the end of the famed street would be the optimal spot for onlookers, architecture nerds, tech junkies, protesters, and the rest. It was afterall under “THE” sign. Two iconic visages playfully composed within a single frame – it just made sense. People delighted in seeing the house change form and reflect her mood. What She hadn’t anticipated was that the in-person visits would wane and the real impact would be through digital tourism. Map views, birds-eye views, autonomous vehicle street views, the insessent gaze of the recreational drone; She had a presence in every direction. She began carefully curating the content with this in mind – though sometimes a simple emoji sends the necessary message ;)
DISJUNCTARIUM DICERIUM
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Act III She rolled her eyes as she picked up the empty martini glasses remembering the comments the man made earlier that evening. It was with pure sarcasm that She projected the campaign sign, but evidently the man was not amused. He nearly caused a scene at the party. Interrupting their conversation, She projected the two of them over the entire cocktail area and introduced her friend to the rest of the party. He was single-and-looking after all. She couldn’t remember seeing him later at the party. With the rubble of the gathering now cleared, she tucked into her bed for the night. She turned up the brightness on the celestial sky surrounding her and drifted off to sleep.
LAST HOUSE ON MULHOLLAND Arch Out Loud Design Competition / 2017 w/ Jay Studer A very short play, told in three acts, this entry explores the possiblity of domesticity when architectural form, pattern, color, and movement is no longer dictated by static materiality but instead at the whims of its users. A conceptual double-skin projection mapping system is the catalyst of a narrative told through the eyes of the homeowner and the gawking public.
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END US ER LI CEN SE AGREEMEN T PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL AGREEMENTS HERETOFORE ARE RETROACTIVE TO THE ‘DAY IN QUESTION’ AS OUTLINED IN THE PREVIOUSLY DELIVERED AFFADAFIT. THE ‘DAY IN QUESTION’ WILL HENCE BE REFERRED DO AS THE DIQ. WE REMIND YOU THAT WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, UPDATE, AUGMENT, OBSTRUCT OR OTHERWISE CONTROL ANY CONTENT AT ANY TIME. ON THE DIQ WE EXPERIENCED UNAVOIDABLE OVERLAPS IN CONTENT STREAMS RESULTING FROM A CHANGE IN THE OVERLAY ZONE KNOWN AS ‘KALEJDOHILL’ WE ARE NOT HELD RESPNSIBLE FOR ANY INTERRUPTIONS, ABNORMALITIES, CROSSOVERS, GLITCHES, SENSORAL VERTIGO, OR OTHER ABERRATIONS IN NORMAL CONTENT AS A RESULT OF THE CHANGEOVER ON THE DIQ. THESE AbERRATIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE #OT LIMITED TO:
UNUSUAL OR UNPLEASANT SMELLS
WITNESSING PREVIOUSLY BLOCKED INDIVIDUALS
DISCOMFORT OF THE FINGERNAILS
LOSS OF HAIR
RESPITORY PIXELIZATION
TEMPORARY LOW-POLY ENVIRONMENTS
SWAPPED OR OVERLAYED LANGUAGES
UNSCHEDULED INDIGESTION
MOOD TOGGLE
UNPRECEDENTED ENJOYMENT
CATASTROPHIC bOr3D0m
TYPOGRAPHIC DISPLAYSIA
BONUS CREDITS
HIGH SCORE
MEME INFESTATION
BUFFERIN’
TAG DISORDER
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DESIGN A STORY Kalejdohill Competition / 2017 A mysterious narrative about a strange encounter on the eponymous Kalejdohill in Sweden, this entry hints at a notso-dystopian future where the use of augmented reality is ubiquitous and unquestioned - creating new, blurred social interactions. Some real, some imagined.
Infrastructure Cine-Scape Cinematic Exp The large black box of the cinema is dead. Just as the film replaced the novel as the primary medium of consumption at the beginning of the 20th century, so the moving image has usurped the place of cinema. The This method allows fo moving image, a grass roots, banal, “do it yourself ” formation is a narrative medium for the age of social media directors, artists and and social distraction, is a vital experience somewhere between the static platform of film and re-invention of rethink the cinematic performance. In an unfolding landscape of events, the conceptual space of the moving image is a framework, are a few exapmles. rooted firmly, yet open to the potential of fluid change; the physical space of the moving image must be as well. We call this space the cine-scape, a performance venue which embodies performance in a new architectural What is the futrure of the cinema? How can it still be aA / Specialized seatin topology. Reducing architecture to its elemental form – the line – the framework of the cine-scape takes the the mammoth form of a basic module defined by the most banal unit of construction – the experience scaffolding. TheinCartesian of public, social a timegrid of insulated, digital reflect colosseum. scaffolding rests upon its foundation – a plinth – which serves both as a means of recalling the black box (which viewings? This iscompetition precedes it) and securing the framework of a new mode offilm consumption. If cinema the abstraction tasked of the realdesigners with B / Overhead rigging and theater is the realization of the abstract, the cine-scape lies directly between as a societal spectacle of separathis question as it applies to a site in takes London. DPMT7’s theatrical anti-gravity tion, which re-unites the abstract and the real through narrative, movements and difference. Architecture on the character of a non-linear cinematic experience andproposal the moving looked image becomes a projection of the multito created a film infrastructure. One that plicity of spatial narrative. C / Multi-view projec
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fused the world within a film with that of the film watching stages immerse the vi experience. Blending themes of live-action theater, andcinematic the experience ‘hidden’ infrastructure used to create the films we love, this new theater space was an armature of sorts that allowed artists to expand upon the film viewing experience in a variety of ways.
of Flexible perience
Infrastructure of Flexible for designers, Cinematic Experience other to This methodcreatives allows for designers, directors, artists and other creatives to crethink experience. Here the cinematic experience. Here are a few exapmles.
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A / Specialized seating designed to reflect the mammoth experience of the colosseum.
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London Cinema Competition Entry Combo Competitions 2013
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ng designed to B / Overhead rigging allows for anti-gravity set of pieces. htheatrical experience the C / Multi-view projection walls and stages immerse the viewer in a new cinematic experience
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48hr film project RELEASE w/ DPMT7 2013
The format of this international competition is devilish in its simplicity: after receiving a genre, character, and line of dialog, teams are to write, shoot and edit a short film in 48hrs. Release is a mysterious, dystopian science fiction film focused on a big brother-esque company doing some unusual business. Storyboarding and on-the-fly-writing are a couple of the techniques developed in this process in addition to film editing and sound editing.
the cake D ETROIT BY D ESI G N C OM P ETITIO N DPMT7 ran through a myriad of formal, social, and absurdist ‘solutions’ to the prompt of improving Detroit’s riverfront at Hart Plaza. We found the avenue too narrow for such a sweeping response. Instead, the group thought a shift in conversation was in order. Our design project took the form of a cake, bearing the image of an architectural wonder; tempting and sweet it was a treat for the mind and tongue. The cake was presented at the competition’s jury panel. The cake went fast as conversations commenced. But once the sweet treat was consumed we were left with an image of Hart Plaza unchanged, apart from icing residue and cake crumbs.
Detroit Cake Proposal mixed media on paper
cake on offer at symposium
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C I N C I N N ATI C O U N TRY D AY LO W ER S C H OOL Lower-School Photos, Site & Building Models Office Project Michael McInturf Architects 2013
Evoking themes of a forrest, this remodel accomplished openess and visibility while creating a visually and physically engaging learning environment. Using a simple, exposed structural system and predominantly glazed facade allowed for more dynamic physical spatial elements on the interior. An undulating system of plywood panels creates the ‘canopy’ of the forrest which modulates sound and light against the exposed structural ceiling. The stair bleachers provide an audience seating zone for the stage area, as well as a quite place to read, while defining the library area within the open-concept space.
a q u e o u s a gg r e g a t i o n
A project that focused on pattern making as well as actual making, this endeavor resulted in a robust building module. The combination of conceptual pattern tracing as it applies to real-world fabrication and assembly of building units crossed many different aspects of the design industry. Not only were we tasked with formalizing a building unit, but needed to design the process of fabricating molds for those units but also to deal with the realities of casting those units.
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Aqueous Aggregation plaster building modules 8x8x16 2007
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READY TO AGGREGATE
cnc s c r e e n The Roaring Tigers, Leaping Carp exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum needed a lightweight spatial and visual divider that could be installed after the work had been hung. Maximizing material use, these screens were designed to be CNC milled from 1/4� plywood and flat packed to the museum. The use of fasteners or adhesives was not allowed, and the assembly needed to be completed over one evening - in the presence of delicate ancient artwork. As such, these screens used slot and tab attachments and were lightweight enough for two people to assemble and install them in just over 2 hours.
t h o m a s g a i n s b o r o ugh a nd t h e m o d e r n w o m a n
Neon Sign
Installed Wall
Paintings
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Existing Gallery
The exhibition designer is responsible for bringing about a design solution for the needs of the curator, conservators, and museum director. This exhibit attempted to show the work of Thomas Gainsborough as an artist complicit in the subtly scandalous portrayals of women in his time. The neon light, and the use of a simple building material (plywood) to hang the painting is a wink to the subversive attitude Gainsborough had toward the conservative art world of his time - while maintaining respect for the work.
w e dd e d p e r f e c t i o n The Wedded Perfection show at the Cincinnati Art Museum was much anticipated and well recieved for its sizable showing of wedding attire throughout time. The design challenge here was to show as much of the textiles as possible while still keeping them safe from touchy attendees. The textiles needed to speak to their time, while keeping the whole show cohesive, and at the same time give each dress a sense of life and movement. Using a dark color pallette and a variety of pedestals, the dresses are brought to the forefront while still giving the viewer a variety of spatial experiences to move through.
tiny space This detached addition used the footprint of a torn-down garage space. The design-biuld project is a 240sqft. live-work area. The project explored simplicity in material use, while still fitting well into it’s context. One wall is split face block (to allow for a wood pile) and the high pitched roof let’s in light as well as creates space for the loft area. Used as a studio space, the proposal includes the potential for a full tiny living area with kitchenette and bath.
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With iteration, process and craft at the heart of the foundation curriculum students are exploring the basics of composition and space. With simple parameters the results are wide and varied, allowing the students to connect fundamental principles to a range of design outcomes. As a faculty leader and co-designer of the Cube Book, the team assembled a remarkable number of photographs into a keepsake document. This not only enriched the student experience but demonstrated the potential of an in-house publication team.
s i x t e e n s e q u e nc e & j o i n t s e q u e nc e This project module focuses on the ability to create a sequence from disparate parts. Starting with a series of sixteen found images, the students are tasked with finding a visual and conceptual connection between the parts and across the whole. The second component
Teaching Communication Skills University of Cincinnati 2012-13
charges the students to imagine spatial implications between parts. In this assignment they are to imagine the missing spatial elements that would exist between the original sixteen parts. In this way they are creating a visual communication of a spatial concept.
Armature Design Lab 01 University of Cincinnati 2012-14
Write, shoot, and edit a film in 48 hours. This annual film project is an exciting and engaging experience for filmmakers of all types. Each participant is given a film genre, a line of dialogue, a prop, and a character that must appear in their film. DPMT7 was very interested in the possibilities of this time restrictive event - and with our experi-
ence in visual story telling, we embarked on a contemporary, silent, sci-fi film. Our experience in using the materials and opportunities around us resulted in a short film as moving collage. Our final project is story built around observation, big-brother, corporate hierarchy, and the natural and artificial worlds we move through.
Space Wall Design Lab 02 University of Cincinnati 2012-13
This culminating foundations project allows the students to grapple with issues of scale, construction, and real-size spatial elements. The team-based ‘modules’ are responsible for their own spatial agenda, while still being responsible for its placement in the sequence and its role among their neighbors.
P OOL H O U SE
This second year project allowed the students to explore issues of tectonic language, facade, interior and public/ private concerns. The project is a pool house that includes general swimming pool, plunge pool, sauna, showers, lockers restrooms and overall site approach/arrival.
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Pool H Second Ye University of 20
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POOL HAUS KYLE WINSTON
The natural world provides for us, its inhabitants, all of what brings pleasure. Human trends show the misunderstanding of bliss as being a resultant of artificial stimulation, as opposed to the Earth’s congenital attributes. The unscarred and unadorned landscape exceeds the successes of the built environment because it does not attempt to mimic any other original intention. Instead of trying to remake, the ideal is to just react. These pleasures originate from different places and times, which in turn maintain significance due to arbitrary originality. To bring together these different experiences emphasizes life to be under total control and manipulation. The Pool Haus is a compilation of pseudo-equivalent experiences. These spaces must remain independent, yet still reflect cohesive functionality.
zOoMaBLe WorLdS 2nd year arch studio Mara Marcu - coordinator Beginning with material and tectonic research, this studio focused on the potential of process, scale, and iteration. As seen on these pages students used different techniques to create structural forms that manipulated surface, then documented these forms to understand their potential at different scales. Examples of the final project, on the following pages, demonstrates the variety of outcomes each student pursued from the wide array of beginning explorations.
Anusha A
Alamgir
Not To Scale
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1 1 Direct Transmission 2 Reflectance 3 Flanking Transmission
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UPPER MASS: Studio Bedrooms
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MIDDLE MASS: Individual And Group Rooms
Alex McCord
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BOTTOM MASS: Entry and Community Levels
1. Isolation 2. Mirrors 1
3. Deep Water 4. Heights 5. Unknown 6. Dark 7. Restriction 8. Insanity 9. Dark 10. Merry-Go-Round 11. Buried Alive
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Danielle Wurlezbacher
Thank You sean cottengim sean.cottengim@gmail.com 859.801.9822