College of Architecture and Planning students and professors are contributing to a traveling exhibit currently visiting Ball State.
Thinkfast is on display in the architecture gallery on the first floor of CAP from now until Oct. 16. It shows the different stages of concept design, from sketches to built works.
The exhibit is co-curated by Simon Bussiere, an assistant professor of landscape architecture. The two other curators teach at Kansas State University and The New School of New York City, both of which will also host the exhibit.
The three have been colleagues in the past, Bussiere said, and they always found there was movement in the design process that needed to be celebrated.
“We were seeing that there is a gap in our field in terms of the knowledge and appreciation we have for the diverse visual thinking styles where a lot of the work is going into this very hyper-real rendering world,” he said. “We wanted to return it in a way and just be really proud of the roots of design thinking.”
He said Ball State has a long history of visual thinking, and drawing is valued here. He hopes students will be inspired by seeing how other people begin their designs.
“Drawing is a very personal act and so is learning, so I think that an appreciation for the diversity of visual thinking styles will be gained from checking out the show,” he said.
The exhibit features work from established designers as well as students. One of those students is Eric Lawler, a senior architecture major.
Lawler said Bussiere approached him one day last year and encouraged him to submit some works for the exhibit. He said he is always looking for various venues to display his work.
“We just make such a high volume of work here in architecture school that even with Instagram, Tumblr and personal websites, we are still looking for other venues, especially physical ones, to display our passions,” he said.
Lawler said the exhibit shows off the hidden side of architecture.
“It’s really interesting to see an exhibit focused more on ideas rather than end products,” he said.
