A+D Museum Announces “Wireframes: The Visualization of Architecture”

This week A+D Museum has announced “Wireframes: The Visualization of Architecture,” the first major survey of an important art form. The new exhibit follows the evolution of this field, from milestones to technology, told by the people who have lived it.

New Exhibit Details

Using illustrations, projections, and interactive VR, Wireframes encourages attendees to explore a practice that continues to define how we view structures and space.

“The history of architectural visualization tells the story of architectural communications,” said Anthony Morey, executive director and chief curator at A+D Museum. “From the first ‘wireframe’ to future updates in multi-sensory experiences, this is an art form that continues to mold public expectations about built environments that shape their lives. As these images enter the public realm, they broaden our imaginations by pushing forward advances in urban environments, and architecture. As architectural visualization practices advance, they give us a new form of freedom to explore where we are and our possible futures.”

01 – An image on exhibit at the A+D Museum on visualization of architecture. (image: Carlos Martin Pena / Architosh. All rights reserved)

The Wireframes exhibit was curated by A+D and a global team of visualization experts from Kilograph, Chaos Group, CGarchitect, and Gensler. As the first exhibition to tackle the subject, the team worked hard to bring in as many perspectives as possible, drawing from throughout the field’s rich history. Currently, over 30 artists and firms are participating in the exhibit, including Hayes Davidson, dBox, Studio AMD, Neoscape, Mir, Luxigon, Alex Roman and architect-turned-director, Joseph Kosinski.

These perspectives are being filtered into a mix of artwork and artist-curated “stories” located throughout the exhibition. Instead of charting a rigid timeline, the stories capture specific moments where architectural visualization influenced other fields or was influenced itself by movements in culture and technology. Through this approach, the artists will define specific epochs that relate to the practice, as well as the origins of ideas that have moved the whole industry forward.

In the middle of the exhibit, attendees will find an interactive dome that displays 3D projections and VR projects. As VR presents an immediate future for the industry, attendees will have access to two experiences, including the actualization of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Trinity Chapel and Zaha Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Center. The dome can hold up to ten people, allowing groups to explore spatial designs together via VR or a rotating loop of renderings.

02 – Another rendering image on exhibition. (image: Arcqui9 Newtecnic / Architosh. All rights reserved.)

“Influencing perception is an intrinsic part of architecture’s history,” added Morey. “Since its start, architectural visualization has been inherently tied to this pursuit, turning creativity and forethought into a persuasive artform. We look forward to exposing even more people to its charms.”

Wireframes runs from September 8 – November 25 and will be presented in the Room Gallery. The exhibition will be open to the public during normal business hours following its launch on September 8, where it will be part of The Assembly, A+D’s seasonal unveiling of new exhibitions. Assembly tickets can be purchased at the door for $10. During regular hours, the museum uses a suggested donation of $10. Educational events are in the works. Exact dates to be announced.

Wireframes was made possible thanks to sponsorships from Chaos Group, Epic Games, Gensler and Igloo. Artist sponsors include VStudios, dBox, Shimahara Illustration and Binyan.

About A+D Museum

The A+D is a place for individuality, creativity, discovery, and continuous questioning. It is a location of serendipitous combustion resulting in endless exhibitions, events and cultural engagement bringing LA to the front line of emerging themes, topics and thoughts of the Architecture and Design community. Established in January 2001, A+D is the only museum in the country to exclusively and continuously host architecture and design exhibitions, symposia, multi-disciplinary projects, educational, and community programs.