To capture the spirit of collaboration of a global design firm, I co-directed a short media campaign about their exhibition in the 1921 Schindler House in West Hollywood that highlighted curious connections between early modernism and current design practice.
In this video, SOM’s William Baker, Mark Sarkisian, José Luis Palacios, and Alessandro Beghini, and Priscilla Fraser, Director of the MAK Center, share insight on the exhibition and its location in the historic Schindler House in West Hollywood. (5:56)
In this video, SOM’s Eric Long, Dan Koroski, Nicole Wang, and Samantha Walker share insight on the process of creating and installing the exhibition. (4:24)
Role Co-Director
For Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill, LLP (SOM)
Date 2018
Service content, campaign
Short Clips
How do you help people understand curious connections in your work?
The Poetic Structure exhibit was an impressive undertaking of miniature proportions, exploring intersections between art, architecture, and engineering in the monumental works of SOM (Willis Tower, Burj Kalifa) within the relatively modest spaces of the 1921 Schindler House in West Hollywood, the first modernist home on the West Coast.
As part of this exhibit, SOM recruited my studio to spearhead a short media campaign to capture these intersections and the spirit of the exhibition.
Sense of Place & Character
My team and I looked at this as an opportunity to create an interesting dialogue across time and space between early modernism and current design practice, and to show one of the world’s leading design firms how they can use visual storytelling to help people connect with the intimate human experience behind their designs.
Through interviews and a visual approach that highlighted relationships between people and spaces, ideas and materials, we aimed to capture a sense of place and character in their design philosophy and let their thoughts echo throughout the historic setting.
Beyond the Brief
SOM was thrilled with the final products. A member of their internal communications team at their Chicago office told me that they’re “not even close” to being capable of what it is that we were able to do.
Read about the exhibition
Credits
Co-Director Sue Ding
Cinematography Garrett Lamb, John Moody
Editing Patrick Maxwell, John Moody
Sound Design Colin Yarck
Music Jonas Lefvert, Lucas Cantor