Orlando Florida | 2017

Charlotte North Carolina | 2018

Using interactive and participatory design strategies, EFFERVESCE considers how design can reflect on the tragic events such as the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting to at once celebrate the memory of the lives lost and create new connections between those who engage this pop-up architecture.

Rather than a monument, this memorial is an encounter and an event -- a place of interaction and contemplation amid the commotion of the convention environment. Appearing as a filigreed and dematerializing wall, it inhabits middle of site allowing viewers to circumnavigate the structure.  The convex shape of each wall surface subtly captures space without occupying it, while the curvature establishes a focal zone within the field.  Within this zone are 49 vessels suspended in the porous structure, 1 for each life lost during the shooting. Upon closer inspection, one discovers that these objects are in fact mechanisms: a siphon and operable iris, modeled on a simple toy bubble gun. The design encourages one to squeeze the nozzle, drawing liquid in to the iris, and on release, opening to reveal a soap bubble surface. Each bubble blown is a fleeting yet vivid reminder of a life lost, and perhaps, a moment of joy. Bubbles periodically floating above the convention floor quickly identify EFFERVESCE, and more importantly, its cause.

With a budget of less than $1,500 and six weeks to install from award, the construction method developed is modular and prefabricated, capable of rapid assembly and disassembly. Built predominantly from interconnected layers of laser cut clear acrylic and aluminum, all components are made of either recyclable, recycled, or compostable materials. Each of the infill elements are unique, integrating the elevation gradient and volumetric curvature, nested on sheets to minimize waste. 

Effervesce is a collaboration with colleagues and students from the UNC Charlotte School of Architecture.

Photography by McKenzie Canaday