NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

The movement intervention site is I.M. Pei’s National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), also referred to as the Mesa Laboratory, in Boulder, Colorado.

This building project marks a significant moment in Pei’s architectural practice as he invited the influence of local, historical aspects of the building site into his design process. Pei drew inspiration from the cliff dwellings of the Pueblo Indians native to the area. He inverted his quotation of the Pueblo T-shaped window, i.e. the ‘T’ is upside down.

Such adaptations ran contrary to Pei’s modernist roots. The Bauhaus instructed students that no refuge was to be found in the past and that they should instead be equipped for the modern world. Le Corbusier was clear on the point that building projects must be conceived independently of their location.

“The figure in the photo is compositionally balanced amongst tensions of gravity, shadow, architectural line, and complementary color that seem to correlate to an intense subjective connection with the space. The photo suggests that the figure's embodiment within these tensions allows her to discover something special or unique about the structure's formal qualities.”
                                – Jesse Leaneagh, art writer and critic

Installed at The Parlour hair salon in Denver, Colorado, 9'x3'.