Shaping Face - House Model. Image © Natou Fall

Thesis Review is a collection of conversations, statements, and inquiries into the current state of thesis in academia. Thesis projects provide a better understanding of the academic arena while painting a picture for the future of practice. Each feature will present a contemporary thesis project through the voice of those that constructed it. 

This week, we chat with Natou Fall from Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and her thesis titled, "Shaping Face." Fall shares with us her path pursuing an architectural education. She gets candid with Archinect by explaining what it takes to push a project forward and shed light on how to rethink architecture's relationship to the cosmetics industry. 

According to Fall she believes that in today’s society "cosmetics serve a purpose beyond spectacle and seduction. With the help of social media, Instagram in particular, we can see and understand that they are aligned with notions of individuality, self expression, and play an essential role in empowering self-construction." In addition to receiving the SCI-Arc Service Award, Fall's thesis work won the 2019 SCI-Arc Gehry Prize. 

Where did you receive your M.Arch I and what prompted you to pursue a Masters degree in architecture? Why SCI-Arc?

Before coming to SCI-Arc I received my BFA in Interior Architecture and Design at George Washington University. I had started my undergraduate career in electrical engineering and switched to the design program just to “try it out.” I didn’t know much about the design field before I started. It was early on in the program, my first design instructor, Catherine Anderson, told me I need to go to architecture school. 

When it came time to apply to schools, SCI-Arc was really the only school I wanted to go to because of it’s philosophy. It isn’t a traditional architecture school, it's a school that is dedicated to challenging how the world understands and teaches architecture, and I loved that. 

I would describe my thesis as a project that aims to re-establish cosmetics in architecture as including thickness, feature enhancement, exaggeration, ornamentation, and other transformational effects that empower individual expression of identity.

The aesthetic of my work is inspired by architecture in South Los Angeles, particularly houses with what I call a "near faciality"

What is your thesis?

Shaping Face, is a project I had started my second year through a theory paper I wrote on cosmetics as it relates to architecture, and I spent my thesis semester developing my thoughts and translating them into an aesthetic. I would describe my thesis as a project that aims to re-establish cosmetics in architecture as including thickness, feature enhancement, exaggeration, ornamentation, and other transformational effects that empower individual expression of identity. Over the course of my thesis semester, I studied techniques of various makeup artists, and the tools of application to develop a cross-design vocabulary for a contemporary architectural cosmetics. The aesthetic of my work is inspired by architecture in South Los Angeles, particularly houses with what I call a "near faciality", this sense that one is looking at eyes, a nose, and a mouth. 

What was the inspiration for your thesis?

My passion for makeup artistry is really where the inspiration for my project came from. At SCI-Arc, I had a reputation for constantly changing my hair and sporting crazy eye make-up on a regular basis because it’s a huge part of how I express myself. Before it was even an architecture project, the idea started as my makeup instagram (@shaping_face). When I started it back in 2018, the idea was to create makeup looks to match some sketch collages of the facial features I often doodle. After a while, it dissolved into me posting my makeup every now and then, which I still do. 

In the beginning, I wasn’t set on making a building [...] I struggled a bit with figuring out how to coherently translate my theoretical concepts into something that was visual.  

Then I focused on makeup tools, specifically the makeup sponge, and I made compositions of scaled-up makeup sponges.

How did it change over the course of the project?

In the beginning, I wasn’t set on making a building; my advisor, Mira Henry, and I went back and forth about what my final deliverable would be for a long time. I struggled a bit with figuring out how to coherently translate my theoretical concepts into something that was visual. I started by building masks, using my face as a site, then there was a period where I was studying the concept of a mannequin and modeling my own set. It was all very anthropomorphic and abstract for a while.

Then I focused on makeup tools, specifically the makeup sponge, and I made compositions of scaled-up makeup sponges. After a few intense conversations, we decided I should just take a shot a giving a house a makeup look. Much of my process was focused on material studies, I’m passionate about model-making, so I only digitally modeled what was necessary. I spent a lot of time experimenting with paper, wax, makeup, plaster, foam, and silicones. 

A significant and crucial moment during my thesis was a few days after my midterm review, Mira and I were sitting in my cubicle looking at my first silicone house model. Over the course of our conversation we tore it apart, it was cathartic really. 

 How do you see this thesis progressing into your career?

My thesis, as it relates to my career, will always be something I look back to. The beauty and cosmetics industry is where I hope to be, and I think the notions of cosmetics, beauty, self-expression, and style are always going to be prevalent in my life and in my work. 

What were the key moments within your thesis?

A significant and crucial moment during my thesis was a few days after my midterm review: Mira and I were sitting in my cubicle looking at my first silicone house model. Over the course of our conversation, we tore it apart; It was cathartic, really. I sort of threw everything at the model in terms of the formal traits I had developed, up until that point it was all abstract, so it was a lot, like a drag makeup look is a lot. We stripped it down to the essentials and from that point, I had a clearer idea of what I was going to do. 

How does your thesis fit within the discipline of architecture?

I would say my thesis serves as a necessary complication to the thought that cosmetics are purely superficial. In architectural discourse over the last two decades, cosmetics have been linked to the notions of eroticism, allure, and theatrical performance. I think in today’s society cosmetics serve a purpose beyond spectacle and seduction. With the help of social media, Instagram in particular, we can see and understand that they are aligned with notions of individuality and self expression, and that they play an essential role in empowering self-construction. I think that understanding is lacking in how cosmetics is discussed in the discipline. 

What did you discover during the process that you did not foresee?

I discovered while I was creating a catalogue of houses in South LA that some people don’t take kindly to strangers photographing their homes, even if its for research. And large sheets of mirrored acrylic are hard to work with haha. 

What do you wish you would have known before your thesis? Any obstacles?

I do wish I had pushed myself to work in the wood-shop more often prior to thesis. Building the mirrored triangular pillar was the biggest obstacle in my process, partly because I wasn’t familiar with the equipment and because it was my first time building something of that size. 

If you could do this again, what would you change?

If I could do this again I would plan better in terms of materials. I used a lot more silicone than I anticipated, and none of the 2x4s I bought to build my mirror. It all went to good use in the end, but I definitely could have saved myself some money. 

It’s a chance to establish your own philosophy of design practice moving forward, whether it’s rooted in Architecture proper or not. 

What do you think the current state of "Thesis" is within architecture and how can it be improved?

I think it depends on how thesis is treated, I think thesis at SCI-Arc should be the model to follow—and I’m not just saying that because I’m fond of the school. Thesis at SCI-Arc is described as “your first project as a professional,” and I think, especially at the graduate level, being given the opportunity to take all the skills and history you’ve been taught in order to develop a project that means something to you is important. It’s a chance to establish your own philosophy of design practice moving forward, whether it’s rooted in Architecture proper or not. 

My thesis serves as a necessary complication to the thought that cosmetics are purely superficial. In architectural discourse over the last two decades, cosmetics have been linked to the notions of eroticism, allure, and theatrical performance.

What are your next steps academically? Professionally?

I have given some thought to getting my PhD, but not enough to start looking at programs. Other than continuing my own education I am interested in teaching. I just taught a week-long workshop through SCI-Arc called POP-Arc at a high school in Toronto, and I had such a great experience. Professionally, I’m currently freelancing and looking for full-time work that is right for me. The ultimate goal is to land a job as an artistic or creative director for a beauty or fashion brand. 

...being given the opportunity to take all the skills and history you’ve been taught to develop a project that means something to you is important. 

Don’t shy away from thoughts or questions that scare you or make you uneasy, that’s where the good stuff is. 

Any tips for students working through their thesis?

1. Go into thesis with a concept that has many branches or potential outcomes, it's better to have too much than too little. 
2. Don’t shy away from thoughts or questions that scare you or make you uneasy, that’s where the good stuff is.