Azure – September 2019

054 _ _SEPT 2019

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Over View, as its name implies, is a view overhead –

and one that is transformative. The permanent ceiling

installation – a massive 3D drawing – was created for

the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh’s new Museum

Lab, which spills into the former Carnegie Free Library

of Allegheny. “It’s this really spectacular building, but

it had been renovated pretty brutally at a few points

over the last century,” says Brennan Buck, a partner at

FreelandBuck, the firm that masterminded the design.

“We were interested in evoking the history of the

building, its gravitas and beauty.” To that end, the tex-

tile structure belies the room’s actual height to reveal

an evocation of its former grandeur.

From the centre point beneath the canopy, the

viewer sees it expand upward, mimicking the original

ornate ceiling. “My hope is that people will walk

around and try to find the point from which the drawing

is projected,” says Buck. “From that one point, you

get a good view of the concave historic leaded-glass

ceiling and, as you move around, you can clearly

see that it is a convex object hanging down toward

you.” In effect, the installation allows the viewer to

drift between concave and convex perspectives.

FreelandBuck, which has offices in Los Angeles

and New York City, worked with a global manufacturer,

Fabric Images of Elgin, Illinois, to develop the final

product: three layers of non-woven plastic insus-

ceptible to unravelling. The layers were printed and

then cut and rolled for transport; a modular nine-by-

12-metre aluminum frame supports the entire structure.

In lieu of up-lighting, which wasn’t feasible in a space

topped with a partial glass floor and filled with daylight,

fixtures are fitted between the fabric layers to highlight

the depth of the illusion.

But Over View isn’t your typical trompe l’oeil. It’s

both provocative and contemporary. “We’ve been

fascinated by the history of trompe l’oeil in Italy,” says

Buck. “At one time, those illusions were so powerful,

but they’re really not anymore. We encounter more

powerful illusions all the time now, whether it’s images

or videos or virtual reality. What’s interesting is that

they are sort of fragile; they change and distort as you

move around the space.”

The project is a study in medium and material:

a large-scale drawing brought to life through fabric,

blurring the lines between works on paper and bricks

and mortar. In this case, says Buck, they are quite

literally building through drawing. “Hopefully it works

as a drawing that describes another space or object,

but also as a material, physical thing. I think there is

a real uncertainty to it that prompts people to take a

second look.” freelandbuck.com, fabricimages.com

The fabric’s Victorian-
inspired colour palette is
an ideal foil for Koning
Eizenberg Architecture’s
renovated library space,
which was left raw and
exposed. It’s a fitting
combination for Museum
Lab, which offers art–
tech experiences for
older children.

FREELANDBUCK’S CONTEMPORARY TAKE
ON TROMPE L’OEIL MESMERIZES AT
THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF PITTSBURGH

WORDS _Catherine Sweeney

Modern

History

_Ceilings