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OPENINGS is an interactive storefront installation, built into the façade of the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) gallery in Hollywood. Located at a border condition between the urban context of Hollywood Blvd. and the art gallery environment of LACE, OPENINGS uses architectural strategies and interactive media to address these two seemingly disparate zones. This project was developed during David Erdman’s UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design Superficial Superglow v2 winter quarter 2008 technology seminar and will be included in the forthcoming publication Contemporary Plasticity .

Exterior, facing the Hollywood Blvd. 'Walk Of Fame'.


Day/night transition.


Exterior, facing the Hollywood Blvd. 'Walk Of Fame'.


Exterior; pedestrians read data displays on LCD screens.

A system of modular vacuum-formed panels, LCD displays, and LED lights is built into both the interior and exterior sides of the LACE storefront wall. The white LEDs glow in intensity according to the motion and proximity of pedestrians on Hollywood Blvd's 'Walk Of Fame'. LCDs on the exterior side of the wall show animated text describing art exhibits culled from the 30-year history of LACE, while LCDs on the interior show text derived from artist Douglas McCulloh's project '60,000 Photographs in Hollywood' describing and quoting various characters encountered on Hollywood Blvd.


Exterior; modular panels form frames surrounding the display and interaction hardware of LCD displays, LED illumination, and infra-red sensors.


LCD displays on exterior side show information on art exhibitions from the history of LACE gallery.


Interior position looking out towards Hollywood Blvd.


Interior, with gallery reception desk.

OPENINGS functions as the active membrane between two zones on either side of the storefront wall, pulling Hollywood Blvd. into LACE gallery and pulling LACE gallery onto the street.


LCD displays on interior side show information and quotations from various people encountered on nearby Hollywood Blvd.


Interior view.


Exterior.

Funding is made possible by the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture Arts Forum grant, a UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design Charles Moore Traveling Fellowship, the UCLA Department of Design | Media Arts, the UCLA Center for Embedded Networked Sensing, and cityLAB.


Assembly diagram.


LCD displays on either side of the glass show data about the zone on the opposite side of the glass, pulling Hollywood Blvd. into LACE gallery, and pulling LACE gallery onto the street.

OPENINGS is currently on view at LACE Gallery until January 10, 2009.




Andrea Boeck and Jihyun Kim are recent graduates of the UCLA Departments of Architecture + Urban Design and Design | Media Arts, respectively. Justin Lui is a current student of the UCLA Department of Design | Media Arts, and a graduate of the UCLA Department of Architecture + Urban Design.