ITERATIVE EXPANSION - Akari Showroom
The design proposal for the Noguchi Showroom operates as a dynamic display, emerging and receding to form a relationship with its visitors. The flexible system utilizes sustainable materials to honor the Akari light sculptures in an existing interior environment.
Employing a series of movable walls with adjustable fins, the program produces a continuous ebb and flow of expression. The articulated display system supports, frames, and showcases the lights in curated modification.
Type: Cultural + Retail
Site: Noguchi Museum + Studio, Queens, NY
Duration: 14 weeks - Fall 2022
Skills: AutoCAD, Illustrator, Photoshop, models
A reconfigurable layout incites curiosity and encourages guests to return, eager to view a transformed arrangement and gain a cumulative appreciation for Noguchi and his work.
To counteract the post-COVID tendency toward virtual experiences, the design aims to attract new visitors while including designated areas for lectures and events to strengthen the museum’s connection to the Long Island City and Queens communities.
Analysis of the 16A akari light as well as Noguchi’s later works in galvenized steel informed the design language for the project. With a minimal number of folds to the steel, Noguchi created the perception of an object with far greater mass. Maximizing occupied space of a thin sheet with a simple articulation.
The akari are display on movable framed walls containg two series of fins. Made from Kirei board, the fins reveal a distinctive grain, a visual indicator of the creation process. Each one is replaceable—supporting a sustainable approach to Noguchi’s aesthetic.
MOVABLE WALLS - mechanics + components
The fins rotate 180°, creating shelves, a means for hanging, and gated threshold moments throughout the space. A ratchet hinge holds at 36 angles in 5° increments from the closed position to the 180° max opened position. The position is released by lifting/rotating the fin 20° past the fully open position of 180°. The friction (resistance) function continues to work even when released, for safe operation.
1. The walls are on hidden casters, fully accessible behind a magnetic kickplate—for easy locking, repairs, or replacement.
2. Power boxes on the floor provide electricity which is wired through the walls and up to the Akari.
3. The walls are flush-bolted to the floor for extra support.
