The Possible Mediums Conference, which took place at The Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture from February 7th - 10th, 2013, brought together 18 designers, 120 students (from the four co-host schools: The Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture, University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, and University of Kentucky College of Design), and special guests John McMorrough and Jeffrey Kipnis, to participate in design workshops and formal discussions surrounding the question of mediums in contemporary architecture. Challenging the boundaries of architectural convention, the invited workshop leaders led students in exploratory processes rooted in mediums external to the discipline (such as film or comics) or developed from atypical applications of more conventional mediums (such as drawings or models). The conference results, both in design and discourse, demonstrate the profound potential of an expansion and diversification of architectural mediums as format, as material, and as a means of projection.

Assistant Professor Kyle Miller curated the Active Models group which sought to connect a group of designers that employ interactive technologies to link digital and physical environments. Their work utilizes embedded computation, continuous measurement, and kinetics to propose new modes of visual, spatial, and formal engagement.

Assistant Professor Angela Co participated as a workshop leader in the Figural Projections group. This group framed three designers who are engaged in the study of architectural legibility related to figural form and shape. Subverting (often subtly) the conventions of projective geometry, these designers employ narrative, optical deception, and ambiguously precise massing to craft imaginative worlds.

Photos by Phil Arnold

Read the Domus feature here.

For a list of workshop events and instructor bios, visit the conference website.