August 2015 /// The Nearsighted Wall

AUGUST 2015 COMPETITION

The Nearsighted Wall ///

Walls are definitive surfaces of separation, both physically and visually. As an intentional division, walls define two sides with little room for interpretation. What if the characteristics of the division varied depending on one's distance from a wall? What if a wall was more opaque at a distance and more transparent up close? How might the perception of the 'other side' be dynamically affected by a wall? Why might walls obscure and reveal different views, sounds, or ideas? What happens when walls are nearsighted?

Participants are encouraged to explore a variety of wall types including: building, free standing, political border, etc. Submissions may be conceptual, technical, and/or artistic.

Top 6

Editor's Choice

JURORS ///

Emma Castro

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

B.Arch, Temple University

Firm: Populous

Chris Dove

London, United Kingdom
DipArch Architecture, Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art
Firm: Jamie Fobert Architects

Zean Mair-MacFarlane
London, United Kingdom

M.Arch, University of Lincoln
Firm: Foster+Partners

ENTRIES ///

68 Entries from 14 Countries

Jonathan Wilkinson

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Jacob Pfahl

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Briallen Roberts and Claire Moody

London, United Kingdom

Justin Morris

Bristol, United Kingdom

Chauncey Drinon

Seattle, Washington, United States

Sayali Meti

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Drew Kenny

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

RESULTS ///

Jonathan Wilkinson

Columbus, Ohio, United States

1ST

JURY COMMENTS ///

"The presentation in this image is impressive. It did float away from the brief slightly in my opinion, but there was at least a clear zoning of space and a nibbling of exploring the subject deeper."

"There are many walls in this image, which forces me to picture myself inside this world. While there is a strong line dividing the East from the West, there are even stronger elements from the North and South. Yet again, the 'pool' in the center of the image is the item that ties all the coordinates together."

Jacob Pfahl

Columbus, Ohio, United States

2ND

JURY COMMENTS ///

"The idea that a simple object, such as an free standing wall, can be manipulated and carved in such a way to give hints of other objects we recognize is an interesting sculptural experiment. I think the the entry could be improved by simply focusing on one idea, for example nature (the tree in the image). If the walls were a series of free standing walls, with different tree silhouettes cut from them, it would give a unique pattern to each component, allowing for the extent of the openings to change between walls."

Briallen Roberts and Claire Moody

London, United Kingdom

3RD

JURY COMMENTS ///

"The simplicity of this image is mesmerizing. While one can’t see a full wall, one can easily comprehend that the cutout of the chain link fence (wall) allows the transition from one side to the other, and with that the 'wall' is gone."

Justin Morris

Bristol, United Kingdom

TOP 6

JURY COMMENTS ///

"I liked this proposal as it was very minimal but it was able to achieve a sense of ambiguity. The image somehow presents the obvious (a dividing wall) but plays with the idea diagrammatically."

Chauncey Drinon

Seattle, Washington, United States

TOP 6

JURY COMMENTS ///

"A beautiful graphic with a clear intervention. The execution is almost poster like, top points for presentation."

Sayali Meti

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

TOP 6

JURY COMMENTS ///

"This entry is something of an enigma. It is only on second or third glance that you realize what the author is trying to illustrate - one side of the wall being good, the other being bad. This idea that the physical nature of a wall, can divide, separate and segregate areas of land and people. For me this is a very powerful and political message, and one all of us should always remember - that the building of walls throughout history, have not always been for good motives."