Completed and first exhibited in 2016, Case Work is a traveling exhibition that offers an inside view into Allied Works’ unique approach to design—a process driven by intensive material and physical investigation. Each project begins with the creation of hand drawings and concept models. These artifacts—forged of diverse matter such as reclaimed timbers, porcelain, charcoal, resin, glass, lead and steel—distill the essence of each project, and explore the dialogue among material, technique and intention that lies at the heart of architectural practice.
The exhibition presents a series of custom-built cases, which open up to reveal a collection of artifacts inside, including models, drawings, material samples, and other studies that have provided conceptual inspiration. These cases are suspended within a modular steel frame that mediates the scale of the gallery with the objects, invites close and careful viewing, and offers opportunities for future expansion and reconfiguration. Curated by Dean Sobel, Director of the Clyfford Still Museum, the exhibition places the firm’s work in context, and explores how this singular collection of artifacts reveals the process of creation in architecture—the act of translating ideas into built form.
