In this video, we hear from two 2024 recipients of The Architectural League and NYSCA’s Independent Projects grant program present their work.
Spotlight Projects
BlueBlock Reef Garden
Elliott Maltby and Gita Nandan
New York, NY
The design of the BlueBlock Reef Garden is conceived to mimic an integrated ecological system that supports life along a deep sectional column from the seafloor to the sun’s rays in a closed-loop microcosm. Elliott Maltby and Gita Nandan explored several interconnected material aspects, from kelp farming to the by-product of kelp-crete, and the biophilic nature of seaborne infrastructure. Education and community interaction were key outreach aspects to engage a wider audience around restoration and the future of New York City’s harbor.
Harnessing Sound from Knit Textiles
Melissa Conroy and Anthony Dicembre
Ithaca, NY
An exploration at the crossroads of textile design, music, and sensory experience, this project developed a collection of knit textile instruments that harness sound, offering new responsive performance and sound modulation opportunities for artists, including collaborator MeeAe Caughey. Textile designer Melissa Conroy and musician Anthony Dicembre created and tested a variety of musical instruments for responsiveness and user experience to zero in on the most versatile and responsive soft instruments.
About the presenters
Elliot Maltby is a landscape architect “deeply committed to public space, with a particular focus on the intersection of social and ecological conditions,” in her own words. She is co-founder of the design firm thread collective. Her professional work includes the first farm on public housing property in New York City.
Gita Nandan is an architect, urban designer, and educator focused on community resilience planning and design. She is cofounder and principal of the design firm thread collective, founder of RETI Center, and adjunct associate professor at Pratt Institute Graduate Center for Planning and Environment and School of Visual Arts.
MeeAe Caughey is a Butoh-inspired dancer, choreographer, and video artist. She has performed globally in theaters, festivals, clubs, and museums, including The Kitchen and Theater for a New City. Currently located in Ithaca, New York, Caughey collaborates with a wide variety of artists and produces performances and videos featuring local dancers and guest artists.
Melissa Conroy is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and textile designer. She is a senior lecturer in the department of Human Centered Design at Cornell University, where she specializes in surface design and knit structure and design. Conroy’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across America and in Europe.
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