The upcoming publication and exhibition "Treatise: Why Write Alone?" at the Graham Foundation in Chicago utilizes the architectural treatise as a platform for experimentation, theoretical inquiry, and debate through the collective works of 14 emerging designers.

↑ Bureau Spectacular (Jimenez Lai),"Inside Outside In-between," 2014-15.

Bureau Spectacular founder Jimenez Lai developed the exhibition after receiving a recent grant from the Graham Foundation. Based on the idea, "Why Write? And why write alone?", the exhibition will display over 200 new and recent drawings, models, multimedia installations, and site-specific wall drawings that will fill the galleries of the Graham Foundation's historic Madlener House.

The exhibition will feature the works of:

• Bittertang (Michael Loverich & Antonio Torres), New York, NY
• Bureau Spectacular (Jimenez Lai), Chicago, IL
• CAMES/Gibson (Grant Gibson), Chicago IL
• Design With Company (Stewart Hicks & Allison Newmeyer), Chicago, IL
• Fake Industries Architectural Agonism (Urtzi Grau & Cristina Goberna), New York, NY
• First Office (Andrew Atwood & Anna Neimark), Los Angeles, CA
• is-office (Kyle Reynolds & Jeff Mikolajewski), Chicago, IL
• Andrew Kovacs, Los Angeles, CA
• Alex Maymind, Los Angeles, CA
• Norman Kelley (Thomas Kelley & Carrie Norman), Chicago, IL and New York, NY
• Point Supreme (Konstantinos Pantazis & Marianna Rentzou), Athens, Greece
• SoftLab (Mike Szivos), New York, NY
• SPEEDISM (Pieterjan Ginckels), Brussels, Belgium
• Young & Ayata (Michael Young & Kutan Ayata), New York, NY.

The project explores the representational limits, histories, and the possibilities of architecture through the commonalities and individual approaches of the designers, who render their ideas through experimental strategies, forms, and materials.

↑ Andrew Kovacs, "Guggenheim Helsinki Model," 2014.

↑ Design With Company (Stewart Hicks & Allison Newmeyer), "Midwestern Culture Sampler (Department of Quantity, Scale, Image)," 2014.

↑ Young & Ayata ( Michael Young & Kutan Ayata), "Still life with lobster, silver jug, large Berkenmeyer fruit bowl, violin, books, and sinew object after Pieter Claesz, 1641,” 2014.

↑ Norman Kelley (Thomas Kelley & Carrie Norman), "Comb-Back Writing­-Arm Chair," 2014.

The opening reception takes place this Friday, January 23 with comments from Jimenez Lai, Grant Gibson, Design with Company, is-office, Andrew Kovacs, Alex Maymind, SPEEDISM, and Norman Kelley (RSVP here).

The exhibition runs until March 28, 2015. Additionally, the 14 individual treatises will be available as a single publication and as separate volumes in March.

For more info, click here.

Check out some of the exhibition works below.