Client: Society of Master Craftsmen and Public Architecture

Overview

Orchid is an urban infill project that integrates art and craft in a meaningful way. The developer, The Society Of Master Craftsman, believes that art and craft are a difference maker in our society, and strives to produce quality projects with talented artists, craftspeople, and designers. Orchid is an affordable housing project located in Normal Heights, in San Diego, California.

Goals

Art and craft are often looked upon as extravagances by developers. We prefer to think of art integration as a way to elevate both our living environments and our local artists. We fully support what artists do. We are doing this kind of work out of a personnel commitment to art and craft, and are not obligated to do so. The uses of craft are too numerous to mention here, but we have two main art interventions. One takes the form of a pair of murals, and the other a complicated steel screen element.

Process

From the very beginning of the conceptualization for the building we envisioned great artworks seeded within the composition. The construction documents contained line items and basic descriptions of the locations. So the work is not mere decoration. It is a full integration into the project parti.

Additional Information

The Artists Tatiana Ortiz Rubio, muralist Michael James Armstrong, metal screen