‘All communities live with the good and the bad,' muses Rand Elliott, referring to Oklahoma events such as the disastrous 1930’s Dust Bowl Period, or the tragic 1995 bombing. When his Oklahoma City-based firm, Rand Elliott Architects, took on the task of designing the new facilities for the local contemporary arts centre, he wanted to go above and beyond all of that. The question arose: ‘What do we have here that’s really unique and special that we can use to reimagine what Oklahoma City is all about?'
The quality of the light in Oklahoma has been immortalized in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Oklahoma!’ – and incidentally, ‘Bright Golden Haze’, a phrase taken from the first line of the iconic musical, also functions as the recently completed Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center's inaugural exhibition’s title.
So for answers, naturally, the architects looked to the sky. The museum’s new flagship building features an innovative recycled aluminum ‘skin that actually absorbs and catches the light', says Elliot. The facade structure is made of series of blind-fastened fins inclined at different angles that refract the sunlight.
‘As the sun appears to move from east to west, the building literally transforms,' enthuses Elliott. ‘As it goes into the afternoon it will go from blues to oranges.' This skin also functions as a rain screen that helps the building to self-cool, and therefore, be greener.
The building’s unorthodox architectural outline amplifies its visual impact, and also influences how the art on the inside will be experienced. None of the interior spaces are rectangular and there are very few 90-degree walls to be found – resulting in an adaptive space that can be altered according to exhibition needs.
For ‘Bright Golden Haze’, which opens on 13 March, these modifications include secluded corners and curtained-off sections that enhance the exhibition’s guiding theme of ‘the ways in which contemporary artists use light to create a sense of place,' reveals Jennifer Scanlan, the curatorial and exhibitions director at Oklahoma Contemporary.
Atmospheric works such as Olafur Eliasson’s Black Glass Eclipse, Vija Celmin’s night sky prints, Leo Villareal’s Star Ceiling, and works by James Turrell and Robert Irwin share the exhibition space with the digital realities of John Gerrard’s landscapes and the indigenous perspectives on light and place by Marianne Nicolson and Yatika Fields.
The opening, taking place next week, will be momentous. In addition to the art on show, Oklahoma’s community will have gained a thoughtful building poised to become a transformational destination.
INFORMATION
-
Pharrell Williams’ latest Louis Vuitton show celebrates a ‘friendship for life’ with streetwear legend NigoLouis Vuitton men’s creative director Pharrell Williams looked towards his long friendship with BAPE founder Nigo to create a collaborative A/W 2025 menswear collection shown in Paris this evening (21 January 2025)
-
Think small, think electric, as Hyundai attempts to revolutionise the classic Indian three-wheelerHyundai’s Micro Mobility strategy, in collaboration with Indian manufacturer TVS, has revealed two conceptual takes on small electric urban transport in a bid to cut the country’s crushing pollution issue
-
‘Just beneath the surface there’s another world’: How David Lynch used hair and make-up to create his singular universeFrom Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive to Twin Peaks, David Lynch used hair and make-up in his films as a narrative device, writes Laura Havlin
-
Reflections from Los Angeles: a local writer's personal account of the LA firesArchitecture writer and local resident Michael Webb reflects on the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires and offers his personal account of the events of the last two weeks in California
-
LA Mayor Karen Bass outlines her plan for rebuilding the cityFollowing the devastating LA wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, the city’s mayor has outlined her plan for reconstruction
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House, a Usonian modernist Michigan gem, could be yoursFrank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House in Michigan is on the market – a chance to peek inside the heritage modernist home in the countryside
-
Cabin House is a simple modernist retreat in the woods of North CarolinaDesigned for downsizing clients, Cabin House is a modest two-bedroom home that makes the most of its sylvan surroundings
-
A Texas ranch house blends Californian charm and Asian minimalism in a 'balance in hybridity'Pontious, a Texas ranch house designed by OWIU, is a home grounded in its owner's cultural identity, uniting Californian, Chinese and Japanese roots
-
The three lives of the Edith Farnsworth House: now, a modernist architecture icon open to allThe modernist Edith Farnsworth House has had three lives since its conception in 1951 by Mies van der Rohe; the latest is a sensitive renovation, and it's open to the public
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A vacant Tribeca penthouse is transformed into a bright, contemporary eyrieA Tribeca penthouse is elevated by Peterson Rich Office, who redesigned it by adding a sculptural staircase and openings to the large terrace
