Visit the Pratt.edu news page for a roundup of seven murals from the Pratt community to visit this summer, including “Pop-Up Pool Party” by Melissa Dadourian, BFA ’91, that covers the Manhattan Park pool on Roosevelt Island with vibrant shapes.
The Daily Hub
A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
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Through August 8, Harvestworks on Governors Island is exhibiting “Scintillator,” an installation by Visiting Assistant Professor Joseph Morris with the help of Interim Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences Helio Takai. The work uses computer-controlled electromagnets to turn inverted wine glasses into sonic resonators, similar to running a finger along the rim of a glass, creating an immersive experience of sound and technology.
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“Neighbors/Voisin.e.s” by Ken Aptekar, MFA ’75, is on view through August 1 in the Chapelle St-Aubin in Autun, France, as part of the Biennale Internationale Autun. The centerpiece of the installation is a series of six diptychs that reflect on religious tolerance, otherness, immigration, and community. His ongoing work on these issues through art was previously highlighted on Pratt.edu.
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At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop, which was translated by Anna Moschovakis, adjunct associate professor-CCE in the Writing Department, was included on Former President Barack Obama’s summer reading list. The book was recently awarded the 2021 International Booker Prize.
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Instructors in Pratt’s Center for Art, Design, and Community Engagement K-12 are being highlighted on @PrattYouth, including alumnus Noel Caban who has been teaching in the Saturday Art School program since 2017: “Over the past few years, I’ve enjoyed watching students make intuitive creative connections and derive a sense of satisfaction from their artwork. I like to think that those moments of creativity will continue to be a tool and resource in their emotional and intellectual development as they grow.”
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Ursula Michelle, MS Packaging Design ’22, won the Grand Prize in the sixth annual Role Models Contest hosted by Parsons Healthy Materials Lab. The competition challenges students to combine design innovation with advocacy for healthier futures. Michelle’s “Rethinking Contact Lens Packaging” project reimagines disposable blister packs through smart packaging design that emphasizes reuse and compostable materials. Graduate industrial design students Charlotte Böhning and Mary Lempres were also recognized with an Honorable Mention for “(Stool)Stool” made with biochar.
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Niama Safia Sandy, visiting assistant professor of fine arts, created posters for a new For Freedoms series of art installations in sites around New York state most impacted by CCTV cameras: “The text on the posters is an effort to connect issues at hand with algorithms at the center of predictive policing, and attempts to apprehend and extract Black people, their bodies and the wondrous gifts of creativity and ingenuity they have offered the world.”
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A project by Pratt architecture student Kevin (Tianyi) Wang was shortlisted in the Skyhive 2021 Skyscraper Challenge, an international competition seeking innovative high-rise concepts. Wang’s “Tree Habitat” was inspired by the mangrove trees local to Shenzhen for a mixed-use residential tower that would act as a giant air purifier for the Chinese city.
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Hannah Fink, MID ’20, was profiled by Women in Industrial Design. Fink works at Industrial Craft in San Francisco and shared her experiences designing as part of a small team where her projects have included an intuitive clock: “We design to meet the needs of humanity. Our understanding of people’s needs—both those articulated and unrecognized—powers our imagination.”
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Quilian Riano, who was recently appointed the new assistant dean within Pratt’s School of Architecture, contributed to Architect Magazine’s “One Year Later” series reflecting on what has changed over the past months of pandemic and protests: “What I have learned and keep learning is how to give up more space, put things into practice, and make sure that voices are heard. … We can all work in multiple ways toward our overall goal of creating anti-racist, decolonializing models of pedagogy.” Riano’s appointment as assistant dean was also covered by Architect Magazine as well as Archinect and The Architect’s Newspaper.
