The exploration of new ways of thinking about the built environment is at the heart of a new exhibition at St. Louis', MO Bruno David Gallery which opened June 27.

Key piece of the show is M-velope by artist Michael Jantzen (read Archinect's 2009 interview with Jantzen here), an art retreat structure designed to provide shelter when trying to "escape from the norm."

The sculpture, 12 feet high by 12 feet wide and 20 feet long, takes up the center of the main gallery space and is Michael Jantzen's latest sculpture from his “M-velope” series.

The exhibition still runs until Saturday, August 23, 2014.

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"Michael Jantzen has always approached his art and design as an inventor, rather than a stylist. By creating architectural art, he is reinventing the built environment so that it can continually be altered to meet the changing needs and desires of its occupants. At times, he attempts to invent systems and components that can be assembled and reassembled in various ways, thus creating form from symbolic references, which relate directly to the specific site and/or function of the project. As a result, another aesthetic component evolves that is unexpected yet equally relevant.

In his recent works, he has developed an architectural art structure that holds both functionality and aesthetic beauty. His latest sculpture titled M-velope is one in a series of functional art structures designed to be special places in which to escape from the normal reality of a predictable conventional space. Those who encounter the M-velope will be inspired to think more creatively about their own passions in life. The M-velope series aesthetics are based on the world famous M-house, also designed by Michael Jantzen, which was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The finale shape of the M-velopes are generated from much simpler forms, which are further subdivided into various segments, and hinged in and out to create a “final” form. Reinventing the world’s external spaces and sharing this vision with others to create a better place for all humanity is one of Michael’s goals for his works. [...]

Michael Jantzen was born in 1948, he lives, and works in Los Angeles and St. Louis, Missouri. He received his B.S. Degree (Fine Arts) from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (1971), and his M.F.A. Degree (Fine Arts, Multi Media) from Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri (1973)."