manetti shrem museum of art opens in california

UC davis’ manetti shrem museum of art has opened in california with an exhibition by new york-based architects SO-IL. the display includes two works created alongside TheGreenEyl and a series of three images taken by photographer luisa lambri. designed by SO-IL and bohlin cywinski jackson, the institution — which opened to the public on november 13, 2016 — has been documented in new images by architectural photographer iwan baan.

the museum building was designed by SO-IL and bohlin cywinski jackson
image © iwan baan

‘SO – IL: museum as process’ comprises artifacts that illustrate and interpret the process of creating the shrem museum of art — inviting viewers to experience its architecture in a new way. created by TheGreenEyl and SO – IL, ‘connective field’ is an exploration of the potential of the museum’s distinctive canopy. a architectural model is composed of a porous aluminum plate that hovers above a mysterious sequence of drawings. these images are activated by the movement and perspective of the viewer looking through its louvers.

‘connective field’ is an exploration of the potential of the museum’s distinctive canopy
image by TheGreenEyl

‘the zone’ is a light installation that features a quote from andrei tarkovsky’s science fiction film ‘stalker’. the words are printed on the wall of the building with light-reactive ink. three flashlights turn on, one after another, with each exposure temporarily illuminating a different section of text. after the words fade away, the process repeats in an endless cycle.

drawings are activated by the movement and perspective of the viewer looking through the canopy’s louvers
image © iwan baan

photographer luisa lambri documented the museum during the summer of 2016, with three images presented as part of the exhitbion. her work focuses on the interplay between architecture, light and space, either by deconstructing and abstracting modernist architecture or by investigating the work of other artists.

‘the zone’ is a light installation that features a quote printed on the wall with light-reactive ink
image © TheGreenEyl

the 50,000 square-foot permeable roof covers both the site and the building. intended as a new symbol for UC davis’ campus, the canopy is composed of 910 triangular, honed aluminum infill beams. assembled in an intricate pattern, the structure seeks to evoke the patchwork texture and topology of the surrounding landscape.

the installation features a quote from andrei tarkovsky’s science fiction film ‘stalker’
video courtesy of SO-IL / TheGreenEyl

the building’s canopy arcs as high as 34 feet on the freeway side, and dips as low as 12 feet at its front. the permeable roof tops a 30,000-square-foot interior, where a glass lobby creates a continuous ground level. here, an open-air courtyard connects the museum’s three main volumes. see designboom’s previous coverage of the manetti shrem museum of art here.

luisa lambri, untitled (manetti shrem museum of art #02, #01, #03), 2016
fine art pigment prints. courtesy of the artist and luhring augustine, new york