Xuanyu Wei

The drawings are a series of explorations of objectifying the built environment. They register two pieces of artifice that use mirrors, printed mesh, and grass to construct a space for public demonstration. The premise of the project is to challenge the normative architectural representational conventions. People and the objects surrounding them are often understood as entourage in architectural representations. When realized, architecture can be seen as Mies once claimed, as infrastructure where life may take place. This project investigates the role of entourage in architecture - its representation and realization. In an extreme condition, such as a mass demonstration, the public space is reshaped by the over-occupation of people. The subject-object relationship of the entourage and architecture defines the value of the demonstration. This project sets forth a premise for further objectifying the built environment by manipulating reflectivity, appropriating normative materiality, and intervening in bodily relationships in order to construct a more democratic public space.