Installation is underway for an amazing new monolithic sculpture—towering 32-feet—in Midtown in front of the Promenade building, appropriately named Stealth. Its creator is acclaimed and brilliant artist Tristan Al-Haddad of Formations Studio. I had the pleasure of meeting Tristan and seeing Stealth mid-construction, in his studio.
How'd I get such an awesome opportunity? It was another fantastic Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) Field Trip!
Before I share a little about that Field Trip, be sure to watch the video at the end of this post for a glimpse into just how magnificent Stealth is going to be!
MODA Field Trips truly are awesome. You get to meet fascinating people like Tristan and at this one I got to catch up with some of my MODA friends, including Terry Kearns, author of Architecture Tourist. The Field Trips are as much about discovery, learning and fun as they are about building community, which MODA does well.
The above photo is of a 3D printed model of Stealth, only inches high. The finished sculpture, 32 feet high, will be fabricated of reinforced concrete, and to prevent "bug holes" (air bubbles) they will be pumping the concrete into the sculpture forms from the bottom up.
As it turns out, this wasn't the first time I'd see Tristan's work. In researching this writing, I saw photos that nostalgically took me back to an installation at MODA during its January 2012 Emerging Voices exhibition. Tristan exhibited at MODA then and he's exhibiting in their current exhibition, Design for Healthy Living, which is on view through August 9, 2015.
You never know what kind of fantastic photo-ops you're going to get when you're on a MODA Field Trip!
A few other MODA Field Trips I've written about include:
Tristan very generously gave us free rein in the studio, so we not only got to see Stealth mid-build, we got to see elements of other projects—which really made part of his earlier presentation come to life—as well as design sketches, tools of the trade, and we had the grand opportunity to speak with him and members of the Formations Studio team one on one.
Tristan hadn't been primed to expect the level of questions he would receive from MODA field trippers. Among the group were designers, architects, professors, as well as engineers from MIT, all with fascinating queries.
Tristan, having earned his Master of Architecture, as well as a B.S. in Architecture, from Georgia Tech, was more than armed with the knowledge and expertise to answer all questions, and he did so with enthusiasm and a bit of humor. The audience appreciated both.
Tristan also studied at the University of Paris - La Villette and the Daniels Center for Building Technology and Urban Design in Genoa Italy. He's won awards and has exhibited around the world. His love for design, architecture, science, materials and art, to name only a few of his interests, are self evident in the extensive litany of his accomplishments. I find him impressive and fascinating! And humble. An admirable combination.
We were all incredibly grateful to Tristan and his team for hosting the MODA Field Trip to Formations Studio and for making the time to create a riveting presentation about some of his works, as well as offering insight into the processes they go through when developing new projects,
Perhaps most of all we were grateful for them letting their working studio be our playground for a while. When Stealth is fully installed, it'll be super cool to say, "I saw it when it was being manufactured...in the studio!"
I'm not sure when the installation of Stealth will be complete or what the unveiling plans are, but keep an eye on the project and treat yourself to an on-foot exploration once it's on display. And please check out the Formations Studio website!
In the meantime, be sure to check out the benefits of Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) membership (and sign up for the next MODA Field Trip) and you might want to connect with them on Facebook and Twitter to stay abreast of announcements for fantastic events like a MODA Field Trip!
How'd I get such an awesome opportunity? It was another fantastic Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) Field Trip!
Before I share a little about that Field Trip, be sure to watch the video at the end of this post for a glimpse into just how magnificent Stealth is going to be!
 |
| Tristan Al-Haddad | Formations Studio | MODA Field Trip |
MODA Field Trips truly are awesome. You get to meet fascinating people like Tristan and at this one I got to catch up with some of my MODA friends, including Terry Kearns, author of Architecture Tourist. The Field Trips are as much about discovery, learning and fun as they are about building community, which MODA does well.
 |
| Stealth | Formations Studio | MODA Field Trip |
The above photo is of a 3D printed model of Stealth, only inches high. The finished sculpture, 32 feet high, will be fabricated of reinforced concrete, and to prevent "bug holes" (air bubbles) they will be pumping the concrete into the sculpture forms from the bottom up.
 |
| Formations Studio | MODA Field Trip |
As it turns out, this wasn't the first time I'd see Tristan's work. In researching this writing, I saw photos that nostalgically took me back to an installation at MODA during its January 2012 Emerging Voices exhibition. Tristan exhibited at MODA then and he's exhibiting in their current exhibition, Design for Healthy Living, which is on view through August 9, 2015.
 |
| Stealth | Formations Studio | MODA Field Trip |
You never know what kind of fantastic photo-ops you're going to get when you're on a MODA Field Trip!
A few other MODA Field Trips I've written about include:
 |
| Stealth | Formations Studio | MODA Field Trip |
Tristan very generously gave us free rein in the studio, so we not only got to see Stealth mid-build, we got to see elements of other projects—which really made part of his earlier presentation come to life—as well as design sketches, tools of the trade, and we had the grand opportunity to speak with him and members of the Formations Studio team one on one.
 |
| Stealth | Formations Studio | MODA Field Trip |
Tristan hadn't been primed to expect the level of questions he would receive from MODA field trippers. Among the group were designers, architects, professors, as well as engineers from MIT, all with fascinating queries.
Tristan, having earned his Master of Architecture, as well as a B.S. in Architecture, from Georgia Tech, was more than armed with the knowledge and expertise to answer all questions, and he did so with enthusiasm and a bit of humor. The audience appreciated both.
 |
| Stealth | Formations Studio | MODA Field Trip |
Tristan also studied at the University of Paris - La Villette and the Daniels Center for Building Technology and Urban Design in Genoa Italy. He's won awards and has exhibited around the world. His love for design, architecture, science, materials and art, to name only a few of his interests, are self evident in the extensive litany of his accomplishments. I find him impressive and fascinating! And humble. An admirable combination.
 |
| Stealth | Formations Studio | MODA Field Trip |
We were all incredibly grateful to Tristan and his team for hosting the MODA Field Trip to Formations Studio and for making the time to create a riveting presentation about some of his works, as well as offering insight into the processes they go through when developing new projects,
Perhaps most of all we were grateful for them letting their working studio be our playground for a while. When Stealth is fully installed, it'll be super cool to say, "I saw it when it was being manufactured...in the studio!"
I'm not sure when the installation of Stealth will be complete or what the unveiling plans are, but keep an eye on the project and treat yourself to an on-foot exploration once it's on display. And please check out the Formations Studio website!
In the meantime, be sure to check out the benefits of Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) membership (and sign up for the next MODA Field Trip) and you might want to connect with them on Facebook and Twitter to stay abreast of announcements for fantastic events like a MODA Field Trip!
No comments:
Post a Comment